Amber Eyes
by TheDragonLover
Summary: A girl named Amber has just turned into a trainer, but how will she cope with the dangers that lie ahead? She has to face a new uncharted island, Team Magma and Aqua and...Shadow Pokemon? DISCONTINUED.
1. Beginning

**This is a story that has a sort of me-ness to it, but still has the original feel to it. I've had Amber slightly older than Ash, but since it's only by a week, it's no big deal. Anyway, everybody from the show is in this, but I've added some people, and the people in this story know there's more than 150 Pokemon out there…so, ENJOY!**

Amber groaned as she heard her alarm clock go off. She gazed sleepily at the glowing numbers on her clock.

It was four in the morning.

She groaned again and rolled over. She stared at the wall with her calendar on it, skimming down the dates. She found today's date. She sat up immediately. "It's my BIRTHDAY!"

She jumped out of bed and struggled to get her clothes on. She finally ran out of her room wearing a blue tie-dye shirt and her lucky jeans. She was sure going to need them.

As soon as she ran into the kitchen, the lights turned on.

"Surprise!"

Everybody in Pallet Town had come to see her for her tenth birthday. Even Ash had come, too! He was going to turn ten a week from now, so she was originally going to wait for him, but she couldn't stand to think of waiting.

She immediately ran up and hugged Celia, a brown haired girl with a quiet personality. She was very shy, but she hugged Amber back and smiled.

"Happy tenth birthday, Amber!"

Ash raised his hand for a high-five, but Amber just hugged him too. He blushed and pushed her away. "Come on, Amber! You have to go blow out the candles!"

Amber slowly turned to the table. She gasped. There, four layers tall, stood a super chocolate cake with the chocolate bread and chocolate icing and those little chocolate sprinkles. Amber's eyes glittered in awe.

Then, Amber's dad walked up to her and patted her on the back. Everybody quieted down. He smiled. "You know, Amber, I think you should get sick and bloated from chocolate overdose after you get your first Pokemon."

Amber looked up at him, and nodded. "Yeah, I should go get one! Wish me luck!"

She ran out, and fresh air greeted her. It was slightly foggy out, with dew on the grass and a muffled silence. To others, this would seem a little gloomy, but Amber liked it just fine.

She skipped all the way over to Professor Oak's laboratory, and knocked on the door. After a few moments, the door opened, revealing the professor holding a notebook, recording something.

He looked up at Amber and smiled. "Well, hello, Amber! Is it your tenth birthday already?" Amber nodded, and Prof. Oak escorted her into his lab. She gazed at all of the shelves filled with Poke Balls.

Professor Oak pushed a button on his desk, and a table came up from the middle of the floor, overfilled with Poke Balls. Some fell to the floor as she picked up one from the top.

She was about to throw it when she hesitated. She turned to the professor. "How can you tell who's in what Poke Ball?"

Oak laughed. "Just throw them until you feel you've found the one you want."

Amber frowned, but she threw the Ball. It hit the wall and opened up. A red beam shot out of it, and a small blue turtle stared up at her. Amber smiled. "It's a Squirtle!"

Prof. Oak smiled. "I see you've studied your Pokemon well, Amber! Well, is this the one you want?"

Amber looked at the little turtle, and shook her head. Prof. Oak picked up the Poke Ball, and summoned Squirtle back inside it. He gave Amber another one.

She threw it, and this time, a small lizard with flame on its tail was dozing at her feet. As Amber petted the Charmander, it sighed and curled up tighter.

Oak looked at her, and she shook her head. The next Ball had a Bulbasaur in it. She sighed as it growled at her. "Maybe there isn't one in here for me after all…"

The professor smiled, and handed her another. "Try this one. I think you'll like it."

Amber pondered what he meant. She shook her head and threw the ball. When the beam shot out, she saw the faint outline of two pointy ears. She slowly saw a curled tail, paws, whiskers and a gem on something's head…

The Pokemon purred at her. She got down on her knees, and it climbed up onto her lap and curled up. She smiled, and looked up at Professor Oak. "I think I'll have this Meowth, Professor."

Oak nodded, and gave her the Poke Ball. She put it on her belt, and Amber felt a huge weight being lifted off of her shoulders. She had finally gotten her first Pokemon! Her very first one!

She smiled and ran off to the door. Oak yelled at her, "Wait! I've got to give you something!" He walked over to the front door, where Amber was waiting patiently. He gave her a small red device.

"That's a Pokedex." He said, and opened it up. "It's a device I made that records data on Pokemon that you find, battle, and capture. It is the ultimate Pokemon Masters' encyclopedia."

She took it and smiled at him. She ran off, and almost ran right into Gary. They both stumbled backwards. Gary quickly regained his posture and glared at her. "Watch where you're going, moron!"

She glared back at him, and she fingered her belt. She wanted to summon Meowth right now and scratch his face with Fury Swipes. But, she sighed and walked past him.

He scoffed and walked up to his grandfather's front door. Amber ran quickly to her house, wanting to show everyone her new Meowth. Then, she stopped. "Oh, no!"

She thought quickly of what she had learned about Pokemon like Meowth. 'A Meowth is extra hard to take care of as a pet, because it needs a litter box, fresh food and water, and a scratching post everyday. They also shed their fur often.'

Amber slapped her forehead. Her mom was allergic to Pokemon fur! She'd be sneezing all over the place. She sighed, and picked up Meowth's Poke Ball.

She couldn't bring Meowth back just because of that. Besides, she was already packed to start her journey to the Pokemon Gyms and the Elite Four. She would only stay for at least a day, and then she'd be gone.

She smiled and threw the Poke Ball. It opened, and Meowth licked its fur down. Amber petted it, making it purr, and said, "Well, Meowth, it seems we're pals for this journey. Are ya with me?"

Meowth meowed. Amber scratched behind its ears, and stood up. She saw Ash and Celia coming towards her with everybody following them. Meowth watched them all curiously as they gathered around it, murmuring. Mom kept behind the group, far away from Meowth and its fur.

Ash and Celia petted Meowth, and it purred and rubbed against their arms happily. Amber picked it up and walked to Dad. He smiled as she came confidently to him, with the Meowth staring at him, very curious.

He rubbed under its chin, and it slowly closed its eyes. Soon, it started to purr contently in a steady rhythm.

Mom smiled at her. "I'm so proud of you, Amber! Your very first Pokemon, and your beginning of the long and perilous journey to the Elite Four!" She wiped a tear from her eye. "You're growing up."

Ash patted Amber on the back, and Celia smiled as Amber slowly let her hold Meowth. She buried her face into its soft fur, and its ear twitched. She gave it back to Amber and said quietly, "I like her; she has a soft pelt."

Amber looked at Meowth. "'She'? It's a girl?"

Celia nodded, and Meowth stirred and yawned. Amber put her down, and she stretched her paws out.

Ash looked at her, smiling. "Are you going to name her?"

Amber looked down at the yawning Meowth, and shook her head. "I think she should be unnamed. It shows she has a free spirit."

Ash nodded thoughtfully, and Celia giggled. "You're starting to sound like a grown-up, Amber!"

Amber pretended to look surprised, and gasped. "Oh, that would be terrible! I better stop now!"

Celia giggled again, and Ash smiled. Then, Ash's mother came over. She smiled and petted Meowth. "It's so cute! I see why you love it so much!"

Amber smiled as Meowth leaned into Ms. Ketchum's warm touch.

Finally, after everybody had eaten their fill, they began to leave. Celia and Ash stayed, though, since their birthdays were a week after Amber's, and this would be the last time they'd see her for a while.

They played with Meowth and talked about the Pokemon they'd get. Ash bragged, "I'll probably get a Charmander and train it into a Charizard!"

"But Charizards are hard to tame even for the pro trainers." Celia pointed out.

Amber leaned back. "Besides, a Squirtle could take Charmander down before it evolved, anyway!"

Celia sat, thinking, and said, "Unless he got an Electric type Pokemon; that'd take out Squirtle quickly!"

Ash nodded. "Squirtle's no match for a Magnemite, or Electabuzz. He'd be knocked out before you could say 'Pikachu'!"

Amber thought quickly. She bit her lip. Then, she smiled. "Graveler!"

Ash looked at her. "What?"

Celia nodded, understanding what Amber meant. "Graveler is a Ground/Rock type Pokemon with a high defense. Even though Charizard is part Flying, it wouldn't be able to knock it out before Graveler used Earthquake or Rock Throw."

Amber smiled. "And, it can take out Pikachu at the same time! It's a neat type combo."

They went on and on, chatting about battle techniques and combos, until Amber's Mom came in and told them they should get home. Amber waved 'good-bye' to Ash and hugged Celia, and watched them walk down the street.

Dad was packing her some food in her pack when she walked into the kitchen. He looked up at her. "I think you wouldn't mind having some of Mom's stew while you're out adventuring, now, would you?"

She shook her head. Dad walked over to her and patted her on the back. Amber smiled at him. "Can you show me how to make a fire again?"

They walked outside, and Amber's Mom watched them rub two sticks together out in the dark. She smiled and walked over to the dresser.

She opened one drawer on the top and pulled out a small wooden box. She carefully tip-toed into the kitchen and put it into Amber's bag, and put in a couple more apples, just in case.

She walked back by the window and watched them sit by the fire, warming their hands to it in the moist air of the night. She looked up at the stars, twinkling far, far away.

She saw a shooting star shoot across the sky. Amber pointed at it, and her Dad nodded and watched the stars with her.

He pointed at one string of stars. "That's the Milotic Constellation, a Pokemon from a far off land. I've heard stories about them; amazing stories, almost too incredible to believe."

Amber looked long and hard, and pointed at a very bright star. "Is that the Pikachu star?"

Her Dad nodded. "Yes, Amber, very good. You're getting better at reading the stars every night."

She smiled, looking at the Pikachu star winking brightly. It seemed to say, "Go ahead, do whatever you please. I'll watch over you."

After a long time of star-gazing, her Dad stood up, his legs stiff. "Well, Amber, you should go to bed. You need the rest for the journey you'll embark upon tomorrow."

Amber groaned. "I can't sleep! I'm not tired." But, as she said this, she yawned, and he put her in bed.

She smiled as he opened the door to leave. Before he left, she said, "Wait! Dad, come back!"

He looked back in, and Amber picked up an old tattered book from under her pillow. "Please, read another tale to me tonight! Before I go, please? Just one more, a short one, for old time's sakes."

He sighed, and came back in. He slowly shut the door and walked over to her bed. She gave him the book, and he flipped through the pages.

He kept searching for a while, until he finally stopped and took a deep breath. Amber got into a comfortable position, and listened intently on her father's voice.

_Once upon a time, a small Pikachu looked upon the hill far, far away. He saw a beautiful house with windows of diamonds and gold. He looked at it for an hour, right before dinner, when the sun was setting and the windows glowed._

_One day, as he was watching the house, he decided he wanted to go see it up close. So, he packed some food and a compass, and set off the next morning._

_He kept east, because of how the sun reflected off of the golden windows at sunset. He swam across great rivers, through dark forests, and over deep muddy ponds._

_Finally, he came out of the last forest, and the morning had come again since his trip. He looked up the hill, but found that the golden house was not there. Instead, a normal house stood on the hill, as shabby as his house._

_He walked glumly to the house, thinking the people must have moved the golden windows out, and knocked on the door._

_A kindly old Slowbro opened the door. When she heard about his tale, she invited him in for breakfast. A small Pikachu, about his age, was eating at the table._

_When he told her his story, she shook her head. "You've been going in the wrong direction, Pikachu!"_

_The Pikachu perked up, and she grabbed him and pulled him outside. She pointed to a hill far, far away. He looked. A house was on a hill with golden windows by where his house was._

_He looked closer, and he saw it _was _his house. He laughed and thanked the Pikacu and old Slowbro. He quickly ran home, over ponds, through forests, and across rivers._

_When he got home, his parents greeted him. His mother said, "Did you see something new?" The Pikachu nodded._

_The father came up to him. "Did you learn about anything?"_

_The Pikachu nodded. His father asked, "What did you learn?"_

_The little Pikachu smiled. "Our house's windows are made of gold and diamonds._

Amber's Dad carefully put down the book and got off of the bed. Amber slept soundly, breathing in and out deeply. He closed the door and walked to the kitchen.

Mom was tightening the belt onto the backpack when he came in. She smiled at him. "Is she asleep?"

Dad nodded. "Dead to the world." Mom smiled and tightened the belt again. She checked all of the zippers and pockets, before Dad finally took it away from her.

She tried to protest, but Dad said, "You need sleep, too. I've got things to do, anyways, so it won't bother me."

Mom nodded and walked out of the kitchen. Dad smiled at a picture of Amber and him fishing by the giant body of water by Pallet Town. He tucked it into one of the pockets and tightened it.

He smiled and put Amber's shoes and coat by it in the front hall and walked into the parents' room. Mom was sound asleep.

He smiled and lay down on top of the blankets. He took out a book and read, watching over Mom, and the picture of the whole neighborhood gathering for Amber's third birthday.

He smiled at the pictures that adorned the wall. They were the last things he'd see of his daughter for a while.

He wondered what she was thinking right now, in her dreams. Was she dreaming sweet dreams of victories and purring Meowths? Or was it hissing and defeat that haunted her?

He sighed. He was worrying too much. This was her choice, and she chose her own path in life. She might as well follow it.

Amber slowly got up as her alarm went off. She hadn't gotten to sleep until two, and it was only six. She slammed the alarm off, and flopped back onto bed.

She felt something furry rub against her arm. She rubbed it, and a muffled purring came up to her though the blanket.

Meowth hopped onto the bed and licked her face. Amber finally yawned and got up, rubbing her eyes. She looked at Meowth's glowing eyes. They seemed to hypnotize her, awaken her. She heard a voice, whispering something to her. She couldn't understand…

She shook her head. She got up, and Meowth followed her. They tip-toed past Mom and Dad's room and sneaked into the kitchen.

She sneaked a granola bar and dashed to the front hall. She grabbed her bag, put her shoes and coat on, and put Meowth on her back. Her claws dug into her coat and held on.

She walked out into the crisp air. She let herself drown in the moist sensation for a moment, lost in the muffled silence. (I like that phrase, 'muffled silence'…so deep)

She bit a piece off of the bar and gave a bit to Meowth. As she nibbled on it, her ears perked up and moved around on her head like little radars.

Amber looked at her. "What is it, Meowth?" Meowth mewed, and Amber looked around. She saw three figures walking down the street towards her.

She squinted in the fog, and saw a red-and-white cap bobbing up and down. She smiled and ran over to Ash. He had Celia and Gary with him, too.

Amber hugged Celia. "Thanks, guys! I was hoping I could see you one more time before I went." Celia smiled, and Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "We couldn't have let you go without the proper 'Bon Voyage'!"

Amber smiled, and looked at Gary. He avoided eye contact. Amber smiled and walked over to him. She held out her hand. "See you next week! I hope you can catch up to me!"

Gary didn't take her hand. Instead, he scoffed and looked at her like she was an idiot. "Don't worry, I will."

Amber glared at him. "Hey, dude, can you not be 'Mr. Grumpy' for uno momento? You might have more friends that way."

Gary glared back at her. "I don't need friends, thank you very much."

Amber crossed her arms. "Umm, yeah, you do. Everybody needs friends, 'thank you very much'!"

Ash and Celia watched as they threw insults and remarks back and forth. Finally, Ash came in between them and grabbed their fists. "Whoa, hey there! Is that anything to do at a 'Bon Voyage' good-bye assembly?"

They both grumbled and looked away. Celia sighed. Ash shook his head, and smiled at Amber.

"Well, I guess you better get going. The farther ahead you get the better!"

Gary smirked. "Yeah, the farther you get from me, the better!"

Amber stuck her tongue out at him. Ash looked at Celia for help. Celia came in between them and took both of their right hands. She put them together and made them shake.

They both tried to squeeze the life out of each other's hands, but otherwise, it was peaceful. They turned away from each other, grumbling darkly, and Celia whispered in Ash's ear, "They have a worse rivalry than you do with him."

Ash nodded. "That's because whenever she tries to be nice, he just bites her head off. I think she stopped after the thirty-second attempt." Celia stared at him. He nodded. "Yeah, I counted after a while. So?"

Celia sighed. Ash looked at her, confused. "What'd I do?"

Amber walked over to them and hugged them. She smiled as Celia gave her a small carving of a Meowth. "Thanks, Celia! Seriously, I wish I could make stuff as good as you!"

Celia blushed, and nudged Ash. Ash gave Amber a big pack of postcards. "You can use them to write us back." He said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

Amber nodded, looking at the postcard designs. She put them in her coat pocket, and turned to look at the road she planned to go on. It looked long, and rough.

She smiled. That's the thrill of life; you never know what'll happen. She waved good-bye and started walking down the road.

As soon as she left Pallet Town, she felt utterly alone. Meowth rubbed her head, and she scratched under her chin. She took out an apple and took a bite out of it. She felt something fall out of her bag.

She looked down, and she saw a wooden box. She picked it up and turned it over. It had carvings of Pokemon on it.

She opened the box, and she saw a flute. It was old looking, and it had the same carvings as the box. She sat under a tree and took out the flute.

She looked it over, and finally, she put it to her lips and started to play. Although she was playing a happy song, the tune that the flute sung was a sad, lonely song.

She found herself crying, and she stopped. She looked at Meowth, who was sobbing too. She put the flute back in the box and just sat there, relaxing.

Finally, she got up, and Meowth walked beside her as she walked down the road again. She took another apple out, but she dropped it and it rolled into the bushes.

She was about to go get it when she heard a hissing sound. She froze. It could be an Ekans, or maybe even an Arbok. She gulped.

A yellow rattle flicked from the grass. Amber carefully backed up and grabbed Meowth. The Ekans came out of hiding, holding the apple. It gulped it down whole, and Meowth hissed at it.

Ekans glanced at Meowth, then thought better of it and looked straight into her eyes. Meowth shivered.

Amber gulped again. It was using Glare, or maybe Leer. It looked at Amber, and she made sure not to look directly in its eyes. She busied herself with the strap on her backpack.

The Ekans looked at her expectantly. Amber finally realized it was waiting for another apple. She slowly took an apple out and rolled it over to it.

The Ekans gulped it down whole and rattled its tail very softly. Amber slowly took out her flute and started to play the only charming song she knew.

Ekans slowly got up to its full height and rocked back and forth to the rhythm of her movements. She played the flute as good as she could, until the Ekans suddenly nodded at her and slithered off into the grass.

She stood there, still holding the flute to her mouth, staring at where it disappeared. She finally put it back in the box and put the box in her bag.

She continued walking down the path, keeping an apple handy in case more came, until nightfall. She spread out a blanket on the ground. She looked around, trying to see some red or yellow eyes staring at her or something.

Finally, she put the blanket up in a tree. She climbed the branches as Meowth jumped up quickly. She made a sort of cushion for her head out of leaves, and tried to get comfortable.

She listened to the Bug Pokemon singing and looked up at the stars. She knew all of the constellations, and pointed them out easily.

"There's the Pikachu star again," She said to Meowth. "It's right in the Gardevoire Constellation. Under that is the Gligar Constellation. See that kind of 'S' shaped string of stars? That's the Gligar."

Meowth looked as she explained what each Constellation meant to the ancient people. Finally, Meowth dosed off, leaving Amber still staring at the stars.

A shooting star shot across the sky, and she thought of home. This was her first time of being away from her parents, and her friends. She thought of Celia and Ash.

She looked back at the stars, and whispered, "I hope they'll come soon. I'm so lonely out here."

The stars winked at her, making her feel more comfortable. Besides, she wasn't alone. She felt Meowth's slow breathes in and out, in and out. She rubbed its back and closed her eyes. She fell asleep under the watchful eye of the Pikachu star.

_Commentaries_

**Thanks for anybody who has just read this, since nobody's really reviewed it; it is the first chapter ;) But, I do have thanks to give.**

**Thanks to my mom, who always believe in me, no matter what happens. Thanks, mom!**

**Thanks to my friends, Lizzy, Katie, and Ashley, for just being my friends, even when I'm weird XD If it wasn't for you, I'd be writing gloomy stories of gloom and doom. So, thanks!**

**Thanks to my stepdad, who always looks out for me and takes me to cool places. Without you, I wouldn't be eating the red hots and lemonheads I'm eating now! ;) Thanks for the goods!**

**And, last but definitely not least, is all of the people who read my stories! Thanks, I hope you like them. Please keep hanging in there, I may be a slow updater, but I love to write, so thanks! ;)**

**So, now all you've got to do is press that little button with 'submit review', put in your opinion, and I'll definitely thank the people who do and recommend their stories, since you R&R mine! So, press the button, and away we go!**


	2. Back Again?

Amber's eyes fluttered open. She found herself staring straight into the face of a Pidgey. She sat up, but she lost her balance and fell out of the tree. The Pidgey squawked and laughed at her.

She held her head, and Meowth came down from the tree and rubbed against her. She smiled and petted her. She picked up the stuff that fell with her, and put everything back in the pack.

She traveled through the grass some more and found herself walking on an almost paved path. She smiled and ran down the path, with Meowth trailing behind her heels.

She pushed aside the tall grass, and found herself staring at a huge sign. It said clearly, "Welcome to Viridian City!"

She smiled to herself. Her journey started yesterday morning, but it had now officially begun. This was the starting line, and to be the Pokemon Master was her goal.

She walked proudly into the city. She looked around the houses, and saw the blue roof of the Poke Mart. She dug through the pockets of her pants and backpack, and found enough to get a few Poke Balls and a Potion or two.

She ran to the Mart and inside the sliding doors. As she waited in line, one of the employees saw her and waved at her. She looked around, and pointed to herself, mouthing 'Me?'

The worker nodded, and she walked over to him, confused. He smiled and held out his hand. "Hi! I'm Carlos, a worker here. My boss said that Professor Oak ordered something special, but I can't leave work, since I have no Pokemon! Do you know him?"

Amber smiled. "Know him? I practically live next door to him!"

Carlos sighed in relief and wiped his forehead. "Phew! That's a relief…Now, do you mind going back and giving this to the Professor?"

He held out a parcel. Amber stared at it, thinking. If she hurried, she could get back here before the next morning. The journey here was a slow stroll, and she could definitely run fast enough to do it.

She smiled at Carlos and took the package. "Consider it done!"

Carlos waved at her as she walked out. "Thanks for everything, man!"

She walked down the road until she reached the dirt path again. She tapped the ground twice with her left foot, then twice with the other. She took off, trying not to waste too much energy. Every five minutes she'd walk for a while, and then she'd start up again.

She kept running, until she stopped and sat down, panting. She took out an apple and peeled off the skin. As she bit off some, she thought about her course.

Now, if she did what she wanted to do, she could get to Pallet Town in the afternoon, give Oak the package, run back, and get back on course tomorrow. She smiled. "Piece of cake!" She put Meowth back on her back, gave her the rest of the apple, and started running again.

Before she ran too far, though, something jumped out in front of her and stopped. She skidded to a halt and almost flung Meowth off of her back.

She looked at the mysterious thing that delayed her. It was something she had never seen in any of the textbooks she read on Pokemon; it was almost like an Ekans, except it had a purple blade on its tail, it was black with scar-like patterns all over it, and two huge fangs sticking out of its mouth.

It looked at her, whispering, "Seviper…Seviper…" (1) Amber carefully edged to the right. The snake watched her carefully, flicking its tongue in and out. She looked for a way out of it, but it blocked the road in front of her, it looked fast enough to catch her if she turned around, and who knew what was in the grass…

She shivered. The snake tilted its head and trilled. It was puzzled at her cautiousness; usually its prey ran around, screaming. She just stood calmly, looking for escape.

She suddenly ran and leaped over its head. It was surprised and ducked, but when it recovered it slithered after her. She ran as fast as she could, pumping her legs and praying it would give up the chase.

She ran under the "Welcome to Pallet Town!" sign and ran straight past Ash's house. He was raking leaves in the front yard, and was so startled by her sudden appearance he toppled over. "Amber?"

The snake slithered past him, and he quickly scrambled up and followed it. Amber ran around a corner and nearly ran into Gary. He jumped, and started to insult her, but she interrupted, "Sorry, can't argue, gotta run! Ackk!"

"Seviper!"

The snake came around the corner and lunged at her. Amber barely dodged it and ran past the startled Gary and up the steps to Professor Oak's house/lab. She quickly knocked on the door, and looked behind her.

The snake was slithering up the steps fast. She pounded on the door. It suddenly swung open, and she ran inside and shut it quickly. On the other side there was a huge "Thud!" and a hurt thrilling sound.

Amber slid down to the ground, panting, and saw Prof. Oak staring at her, confused. She pulled out the parcel from her backpack and handed it to him. He took it and smiled. "Well, thank you Amber! I've been waiting for this for a while."

She got up, still wobbly after the run, and carefully peeked out of the door. The snake was lying unconscious on the welcome mat. She looked around for more, and the Professor looked at it.

"Oh, my…" He took out a Poke Ball and threw it at it. The snake disappeared, and Amber wiped the sweat off of her forehead. She opened the door and walked out, only to bump into Ash, who was about to knock on the door.

She stumbled backwards, and Ash faltered a little. He looked around, and Amber said, "I guess it isn't my day…" Ash looked at her curiously, and she explained her 'fun and exciting day'.

As she finished up, Celia came running towards them. She ran up to Amber and hugged her, squealing, "You came back! I'm so glad you're back!"

Amber smiled and patted her on the back, looking at Ash with a 'Help me' look on her face. Ash smiled and shrugged. Finally, Celia let go and looked at her.

Amber smiled. "I've had an adventurous time!" Celia looked at her. Then, a frown found its way on Celia's face. She looked at Amber worried. "Are you giving up?"

Amber almost burst out laughing. "No way, I'll never give up! I'm a fighting machine, remember?"

Ash muttered something, and Amber looked at him suspiciously. "What was that, Ash?" Ash didn't answer, but Celia smiled and said, "He says you're stubborn, too!"

Amber smirked and patted Ash really hard on the back. "Oh, yeah? Look who's talking!"

Ash looked at her, acting surprised. He crossed his arms and looked away. "How could you ever think that?" Celia and Amber both looked at each other and smirked. Ash looked at Celia, then Amber, then Celia again. "What?"

They rolled their eyes. "Oh, nothing, Ash, nothing…" They looked at him, an evil grin on their faces. He looked at them, scared. "I don't like how you're looking at me, you know! I really don't like that grin, guys!"

They tackled him, and they wrestled until Gary walked by. He sighed and walked on. Ash and Amber both stood up immediately and ran after him, yelling, "What'd you sigh for, Gary? Huh?"

Celia sighed. "What a couple of thick people…"

After she had gotten them both away from Gary, she invited them for lunch. Amber tried to protest, but Ash interrupted, "Come on, Amber! You're already here, so you might as well eat something!"

Amber sighed. "Oh, alright…"

She ran home and knocked on the door. When her Dad opened the door, she hugged him and quickly asked if she could go eat at Celia's. He looked at her, startled, and she muttered something about an errand.

He smiled and patted her on the head. "Of course you can, Amber. Just make sure you don't get too side-tracked!"

She nodded and ran down the street to Celia's house. She opened the nice wooden door and into the dwelling. It was a neatly furnished house; it wasn't flashy, but it wasn't shabby, either.

She ran past Celia's mom and into the kitchen, where Celia was scorning Ash, who was already halfway done with his plate.

When she came in, Ash started to choke. Amber and Celia both patted him on the back until he stopped. He drank the lemonade Celia's mom had made for them, and turned to Amber. "So, how was your first day out?"

She smiled. "It was awesome! Just walking down the road, only you and your Pokemon, nobody else around, and fighting Pokemon by yourself…and at night, the sky is lit up with stars, and the Bug Pokemon's songs fill the air…"

Celia sighed dreamily. "It sounds unbelievable…"

Ash stood up and clenched his fist. "It sounds cool! I can't wait to get my first Pokemon!"

Celia nodded. "Yeah, me neither. I wish it would hurry up…"

Amber patted her on the back. "Don't worry, you're birthday will come. You just have to wait a little longer."

Ash sat back down and continued eating. With food still in his mouth, he said, "Vat bas bit wike wighting vat shake?"

Amber and Celia both stared at him. He gulped down the food and repeated, "What was it like fighting that snake?"

Amber sighed. "I wasn't really fighting it; I had been running to give Professor Oak his parcel when it came out suddenly. I froze, and it stared me down. I didn't look at its eyes, though, since it's sorta like an Ekans, which can paralyze its prey…"

Celia shivered. "Sounds like an evil Pokemon to me…"

Amber shook her head. "No, it was a normal…whatever it was. I wonder what kind of Pokemon it is…"

They all shrugged and continued eating their huge lunch. After they finished, Amber remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot!"

She took out the flute's box. Ash and Celia looked at it admiringly. She opened it and took out the flute. She trailed her fingers across the engravings of an Eevee. "I found this in my backpack when I was walking to Viridian. It's really weird… Here, I'll show you."

She started to play one of the lullabies Mom sang to her. (2) She closed her eyes and concentrated on the notes, oblivious of everything else.

When she opened her eyes, Ash, Celia, and Meowth were sleeping in their seats. She sat there, staring at the flute. It was powerful. "It must be magic or something."

Then she went to waking everybody up. Even Celia's mom fell asleep eavesdropping on their conversation. They put her on the couch and left her to wake up by herself.

When they tip-toed into the dining room, Ash sat back in his seat and finished his food rather quickly while Celia admired the carvings on the flute. Amber took out the box and examined that, too.

"There must be some kind of magical power in it or something…" Celia whispered as to not wake up her mom.

"Yeah, it must be powerful!" Ash said loudly, before he covered his mouth quickly. Celia ignored him.

"Maybe we should show it to the Professor…" Celia played with the little frill on her sleeve. "He might be able to figure it out."

Amber shook her head. "No way! I am not giving it to him so he can get locked into his lab for months! Besides, that flute is really handy."

Ash nodded. He whispered, "If she gave it to him, he'd keep it until he knew everything about it; date of creation, what it's made of, what carved it, everything!"

Amber nodded. "So, we agree we won't tell the Professor, right?"

Ash nodded. "Right!"

Celia whispered, "Alright…"

Amber smiled. "So, it's settled. Now, what day is it?"

"Tuesday." Celia and Ash said immediately.

Amber thought about it. "That means I'll be seeing you both in…two days!"

Celia whined, "But can't you just wait for us?"

Amber shook her head. "If I do, then Gary will catch up, too! And Ash isn't that much of a light sleeper, so…"

"Hey!"

"It's true!"

Celia pouted. "I wish we had the same birthday and that we went together and Gary fell off a cliff and broke his arm so he had to wait!"

Amber sighed. "Don't we all?"

She got up and put the flute back in the box. She shouldered her pack and sighed. "Well, I should get going again, before I become the last Pokemon Trainer to go to Viridian City!"

Ash nodded. "Yeah, you should. We'd never want that to happen!"

Celia still sat there, thinking. "They should make a song about starting your journey and going to Viridian…"

Ash pulled her up and waved at Amber. "Have a nice trip!"

Celia told him to be quiet, but her mom was already awake and was coming dangerously close to Ash.

"Why are there three plates on the table and you're all out here?"

Ash cupped his mouth and yelled, "Run, Amber, run!"

Amber sprinted to her house, hoping Celia's mom didn't hold _last_ time against her, too.

She got to her house and supplied her backpack (again), and soon she was out on the road (again). And, best of all, Gary didn't come out to insult her (again) before she left.

She walked down the path, listening to the Pokemon, when she heard an explosion. She looked around, but the smoke was off in the distance.

She shrugged and continued walking, but the third explosion finally got her attention as she walked through the grass to see what it was.

When she got out, she saw a boy with short brown hair and blue eyes battling a Rattata. He had a Poke Ball out, and pointed at a Charmander that was standing there, staring down the Rattata.

"Inferno, Ember!"

The Charmander jumped up and blew fire at the Pokemon, but it ran out of the way and Tackled it.

Amber looked at Meowth. She shrugged. Amber carefully placed her on the ground. When the boy wasn't looking, Meowth did a Fury Swipes and knocked the Rattata over.

The boy looked at the Rattata and cheered. "Yeah, that's right! You can't beat Inferno!"

Amber and Meowth rolled their eyes. The boy ordered Charmander to scratch it, and Rattata was on the brim of consciousness.

The boy threw a Poke Ball at it. It got sucked into it, and it sat there and wiggled slightly. Finally, it stopped moving.

The Charmander jumped up, and the boy punched the air. "Yes! Our first triumph, Inferno!"

Again, Amber and Meowth rolled their eyes. Amber stepped out of the grass, and the boy noticed her and straitened up. He crossed his arms. "Who are _you_?"

Amber crossed her arms, mimicking him. "I should be asking you the same question!"

The boy looked at Meowth. "Huh, a Meowth. What a weak Pokemon!"

Amber tensed. "Weak, eh? Do you wanna find out how weak she is?"

The boy nodded. "A challenge, I see. Well, I accept!"

**CLIFFHANGER! Who is this boy? Why is he such a prat? And who will win the battle? You'll find out on the next chapter!**

**This is for those numbers I am now adding into the stories to explain things more clearly for the dense or blind people. (No offense, people…)**

"**Seviper…Seviper…" I put Seviper into this, and the thing with everybody knowing there's more than 150 Pokemon, because I couldn't stand being limited onto what I put into the story. It gives me more room to be creative.**

"**She started to play one of the lullabies Mom sang to her." If you want to know what the lullaby is, here it is:**

**I've looked upon a star tonight**

**A star that's lit a light so bright**

**A whisper, a wish, a gentle touch,**

**A soothing voice, saying, "Hush, hush."**

**Close your eyes and go to sleep**

**Your secrets and dreams the angels keep**

**When you wake, you'll be all right,**

**Nothing shall escape my sight.**

**A smile, eyes glisten, full with glee,**

**Have all your worries up and flee,**

**Let nothing wake you from your slumber,**

**A star's light you doze under.**

**Hush now, child, and go to sleep;**

**A sleep that's wonderful and sea deep.**

**Hope you like it! I wrote it myself.**

**Now, I would like to thank Emily-fire-element (I might use her, but I need to tighten a few screws to make it work), gothdragonofhell (thanks!), Pokebunny (don't worry, it wont!), and Shadow13 (she will see him every so often, but she teams up with Celia and prat boy here…)**

**Thanks for the reviews and I hope you guys keep reading!**

**WARNING! SPOILER ALERT! SKIP TO REVIEWING IF YOU HATE SPOILERS!**

**On the next episode of 'Amber Eyes':**

**Amber and the boy battle, but they're interrupted by another Pokemon. But, it's different from the last one they saw. It attacked Amber! And while they try to figure out what's going on, another kid pops out of nowhere! What'll happen? You'll find out!**

**Ja ne!**


	3. Back On Track

Amber looked at the boy in front of her. He seemed cocky, and confident, but he didn't look experienced. Well, she wasn't either, but he didn't look like he read any books or anything, like he was thrown into the world without any knowledge whatsoever.

The boy smirked. "I, of course, choose my invincible Inferno!" The Charmander stepped up, holding its claws up.

Amber grinned and said, "Well, I will send out my _smart _Meowth." Inferno growled at her, but Meowth padded up in front of him and hissed. He stuck his tongue out at her, and she tried to scratch it off.

Amber smirked. "Meowth, Fury Swipes!"

"Inferno, Scratch!"

The two Pokemon ran at each other. Meowth jumped up and tackled him from the air. Inferno tried to claw at her stomach, but she kicked him away and landed lightly on her paws as he stumbled backwards and ate dirt.

He got up, growling, and the boy commanded, "Burn the sneaky fur ball with Ember!"

Inferno opened his mouth and released a small Ember. Meowth leaped above the shot and over Inferno, and kicked him in the back, claws extended.

Her claws hooked onto him, and she did a front flip and made him flip with her. He hit the ground face-first and spit out dirt.

Meowth leapt over and stood beside Amber, who had her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

The boy glared at her. "This isn't over yet!"

"Trapinch!"

Everybody, trainer and Pokemon alike, looked around in confusion. A rustling from the bushes told them they were not alone.

Suddenly, a giant pair of jaws burst through the grass and came straight towards them.

Well, straight towards Amber, rather.

She grabbed her pack and used it as a shield, and the jaws clamped onto it. She threw the backpack, and it let go of it and charged towards her again. She jumped out of the way, and it ran into a tree.

Amber finally got a good look at it. The jaws were a part of a giant head, two times the size of the body. It had four stubby legs and beady eyes that didn't have a sense of actual life. They were like two tiny black holes that showed no emotion.

The creature slowly got up and wobbly walked towards her. Before it took three steps, though, its head hit the ground and it didn't get up.

Amber, Meowth, Inferno, and the boy stared at it, waiting for it to get up. It didn't move. Everybody let out a sigh of relief.

The boy petted his Charmander while Amber took out a Poke ball and threw it at the creature. It twitched, but otherwise didn't fight as the beam of red light sucked it into the ball. When the ball fell to the ground, it didn't shake.

Amber picked it up and carefully put it in her backpack. The boy wiped his forehead in relief. "What was that thing?"

Amber shook her head. "I don't know. It doesn't look like anything from Kanto, so it might be one of those Pokemon from the Hoenn or Johto regions."

The boy sighed. "Well, at least it's captured now."

Amber nodded. Meowth walked over to the boy and rubbed against his leg. He sat down and petted her. "What's your name, kitty?"

Amber said, "I didn't name her. I think it gives her a sign of independence."

The boy nodded, scratching Meowth behind her ears. Meowth purrs sounded like a car engine. He looked up. "What's yours?"

Amber did a mock bow. "Amber Tigereye, future Pokemon Master of the modern age."

The boy smirked and stood up. He bowed back. "And I'm Chris Birch, future Master Pokemon Tamer of the modern age."

They both held their poses, before they burst out laughing. Amber stopped. "Hey, isn't Birch that professor in Hoenn?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah, my dad's real smart. He knows a lot about Pokemon, since he was taught by Professor Oak, so he sent me here so that I could learn things about these Pokemon."

Amber picked up her pack, but everything spilled out. She groaned. "That dumb land shark bit a hole through my backpack!"

Chris helped her pick up her things. He looked at the hole. "I could probably fix it up."

Amber looked at him doubtfully. "You can?"

Chris nodded. "Let me get my stuff out."

He walked over to his backpack and took out a needle and string. Amber watched him incredulously as he started to sew up the hole.

After fifteen minutes, the backpack was as good as new. Amber looked at where the hole used to be and said, "Thanks!"

Chris grinned. "Don't mention it! It's what I do."

Amber looked at him, and he looked down. "Well, I've been on my own for a while and I know how to do a lot of things, so I've helped a lot of people throughout my travel…"

Amber was about to walk off when Chris yelled, "Wait, you forgot this!"

He handed her the flute box. She grabbed it and put it back in her bag. She was about to leave when she stopped, thinking. She turned to Chris. "Do you want to travel with me?"

Chris' face lit up. "Yeah!"

Meowth sat beside Inferno and licked him. Inferno smiled and licked her back. Meowth smiled at him and rubbed against him.

Amber picked her up and put her on her shoulder. Chris took out Inferno's Poke ball and put him back in it.

As he put the Poke ball on his belt, he looked at Meowth. "Don't you want to put him in his Poke ball?"

Amber shook her head. "_She _doesn't like _her _Poke ball, so I let _her _walk around freely."

Chris scratched his head. "I wonder why some don't like the Poke balls…just last week, my dad called to say one of the Pokemon he caught kept bursting out of its ball and tackling him."

Amber smiled. "Well, it's either stubborn, or it likes your dad, or maybe it's both."

Chris smirked. "He got cut off in the middle of our conversation because it got out and accidentally hit 'end'. He called back and said he put it outside."

Amber raised an eyebrow. "What kind of Pokemon is it?"

Chris sighed. "It's a Totodile, and a feisty one at that!"

Amber grinned. "The way you're acting, it seems like a burden to you guys!"

Chris shook his head. "It's just really hard to handle, that's all. We keep it with the rest of the Pokemon, and it acts fine, until my dad walks in."

Amber nodded, and Meowth mewed at her. Amber slapped her forehead. "You're right, Meowth, we better get going! If we go any slower, we'll be going backwards!"

Chris nodded. "Right! Where's our first stop?"

"Viridian City!"

They had finally walked off the path and into the city limits when Amber and Chris' stomachs growled. They looked at each other and yelled, "Food!"

After they got some food in their stomachs, they relaxed on a bench. Chris let out Inferno and the Rattata he caught earlier.

Amber took out the Poke ball with the mysterious creature in it, and Chris shook his head in alarm. "Don't let it out, Amber! It could tear us to bits!"

Amber looked at him. "But don't you think that it needs fresh air, too? I'll let it out quickly, keep far away from it, and then I'll let it back inside its ball. Okay?"

Chris looked at the ball and nodded. Amber threw the ball, and it ricocheted off a wall and opened. The creature came out, eyes closed.

It opened its eyes and looked around. It glared at Amber, but she didn't move away. Chris stared at it, afraid it might charge, but it just snorted and walked over to a trashcan.

It bit into it and broke it in half. It looked at Amber, and saw she didn't flinch or show any sign of fear. It snorted again and stomped over to a pole, breaking it in half as well.

Amber spoke up, "I hope you know that I'm not taking responsibility for that."

It glared at her, but she shrugged, and it snorted and walked over to the dirt path. It dug a huge hole, about three feet deep and five feet wide, and curled up in it and fell asleep.

Chris looked down at it, and shivered. "It doesn't seem to like us, does it?"

Amber yawned. "It read my mind, though. I'm tired."

Chris looked at the sun setting and said, "It is getting late, we should get some sleep."

He went to go to the Poke Center, but Amber said, "I'm gonna sleep out here. It's really nice out."

Chris just shrugged and continued walking. Amber stuck her tongue out and laid her blanket on the ground next to the hole. She laid down on it and looked up at the sky.

One star shined brighter than the light cast off from the setting sun. Amber waited, and soon other stars peeked out from behind the sun's glare. By the time the sun had disappeared, millions of stars were twinkling in the sky.

Meowth was snoring in minutes, but Amber stayed awake. Her mind couldn't comprehend it needed to rest, and it thought at the speed of light.

She looked over at the hole, and heard the giant jaw Pokemon snoring. She sighed. "I wish I could get you to like me."

As she closed her eyes, she heard a sliding door open and close. She opened her eyes and saw Chris walking towards her with a sleeping bag and two hot mugs of hot chocolate. He sat down and handed her a mug.

She drank a sip and almost burned her tongue. She put the mug down and blew on it. Chris smirked as he drank his. After a couple of minutes, she picked it up and took another sip.

After a while, Chris laid his sleeping bag on the ground and got in it. Soon, a light snoring came from his side.

Amber drank the last bit of her hot chocolate and put the mug next to her blanket. She lay down and closed her eyes. The warmth made her drowsy, and she almost fell asleep when she heard something.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and heard a faint humming sound. She looked around, but she didn't see anything. She tried to go back to sleep, but the humming continued.

She finally stood up and looked around. The sound seemed to come from the hole. She looked down at the lump that was the Pokemon's jaws. She slowly slipped into the hole and crept up behind him.

The Pokemon was humming softly, a sound that sounded like the hum of a Nincada almost.

Amber slowly reached out her hand and stroked its back. It didn't wake up, but it faltered its humming and rolled onto its side.

Amber smiled and reached over the hole. She grabbed her backpack and brought it into the hole. She took out the flute box and carefully opened the lid. She picked up the flute and put the box down.

She stared at the carvings on the flute. There was an Eevee, a Dragonair, an Arcanine, a Fearow, and many other Pokemon. She trailed her fingers along the wood, and felt something small.

She looked at the flute carefully, and she saw tiny words written on the side of the flute.

She squinted, but she could only read two words: Time Flute.

She shrugged and put the flute to her lips. She started to do the lullaby, but stopped, listening to the Pokemon. Soon, after listening for a long time, she started again, except to the tune of the Pokemon's humming.

She didn't know how, but she knew exactly what note to play next, even though she never heard it before. Yet, in a way, she did know it. She could hear something deep inside of her, singing wordlessly along to the flute and Pokemon. It was the sound of a woman singing…

She woke up beside the Pokemon, and saw that it was still dark. Chris was watching her above the hole. When he saw that she was awake, he whispered, "I heard someone singing, and a flute playing, and I looked around to find you playing that flute. The Pokemon was singing, too."

Amber looked at the flute. "How long have I been out?"

Chris blinked. "Only a few minutes. Did you see a woman anywhere?"

Amber shook her head. They both sat there, deep in thought, until the jaw Pokemon got up and yawned. Amber froze, but it looked at her and trilled. She looked at the flute in her hands, then back at the Pokemon.

The Pokemon trilled again, and started humming again. Amber understood and started up the tune again. The Pokemon's giant head swayed to the tune, and Amber heard Meowth getting up.

Meowth padded over to the hole and jumped in. She leapt into Amber's lap and curled up. Soon, she started purring. While Amber blew into the flute, she thought she heard the woman again, singing without words to the tune.

After a while, (None of them know how long they played/hummed/watched) Amber stopped playing, and the Pokemon stopped humming. The woman's voice evaporated like water, and flowed around them. Amber thought she could actually see a woman standing in front of the sunrise. When Amber blinked, though, she was gone.

**Oooh, mysterious! Don't you wonder what that woman is? Why the Pokemon was humming? How Amber knew the song, yet never heard it before?**

**Well, TOO BAD! You'll have to wait until my next update. Again, I am sorry about the lateness. I have problems in the real world, and I had to fix those before I could write.**

**Thanks to Shadowkeeper13 (yeah, it's sorta following the game, but I've added my own twist to it, hence the Shadow Pokemon, Team Magma and Aqua, etc…) Pokebunny (I know! I'm so good… ) theforeverpokemonfan that was anonymous (I like the suspense, too! ;) )and gothshadowdragonofhell (I have done your wish… CHAPTER 4 COMING SOON!) for reviewing my second chapter. All you other people, REVIEW BEFORE MEOWTH TACKLES YOU AND SCRATCHES YOU TO DEATH!**

**Ahem. Thank you for your time. Please review.**

**SPOILER ALERT! RUN AWAY, UNLESS YOU WANT TO RUIN THE SURPRISE!**

**In the next chapter of Amber Eyes, Amber and Chris will have a _little _trouble with a certain pain in the neck trio. Also, Amber will get a bit more in touch with Chris, after she's done yelling at him for his stupidity. This is TOO MUCH like Ash and Misty, man…**


	4. Rocket Trouble

The next day, Amber looked at her map. She pointed at Pallet town. "I came from here and traveled to Viridian. After a lot of delays, I've come here again and I'm gonna continue to Viridian Forest."

Chris looked over her shoulder. "Viridian Forest? Awesome!"

Amber rolled her eyes and put the map away. "After that, we head to Pewter City, the town where I'll get my first badge!"

Chris tapped her shoulder. "Amber, what's that?"

Amber turned around to look at him pointing towards a building. It looked run down, but it had the word 'Gym' written clearly on the side. Amber took the map back out and looked at it. "It says that's the last gym to go to!"

Chris frowned. "The last gym to get the last badge is all the way back here? That doesn't make any sense!"

Amber sighed. "Well, at least we know now and not later. It would be sad if we walked around Kanto forever before checking back here."

Chris nodded. Meowth meowed at Amber, and she looked down at her. "What's up, Meowth?"

Meowth tugged at her pant leg. Amber squatted in front of her and said, "What is it? Something wrong?"

Meowth reached out and tugged on Amber's shirt. Amber pulled out her necklace with Meowth and the other Pokemon's Poke ball. Meowth pawed at it. Amber looked at her, confused. "What do you want?"

Meowth walked over and pushed the button on the jaw Pokemon's Poke ball with her nose. The Poke ball opened, releasing the Pokemon. Amber looked at Meowth, who padded up to the Pokemon.

Amber watched as Meowth meowed at the Pokemon. It replied, "Trap, Trapinch trap Trapinch!"

Chris looked at Amber. She shrugged. Meowth walked back over to Amber and meowed. Amber sighed. "I can't understand Pokemon, Meowth."

"It wants to tell you something."

Amber looked at Chris. "What?"

Chris repeated, "It wants to tell you something."

Meowth nudged Amber over to the orange Pokemon. The Pokemon looked up at her and said, "Trapinch."

Amber stared at it. Chris walked up beside her and said, "I think that's what its name is."

The Pokemon nodded. "Trapinch!"

Amber smiled. "Well, okay. I guess I can't call you 'it' anymore, can I?"

It growled, and Amber looked at Meowth. She had a satisfied look on her face. Amber sighed. "Yeah, great, can we go now?"

Meowth nodded, and they started down the path. Meowth and Trapinch walked beside Amber on her left, and Chris walked on her right. They walked for about five minutes through the city before Chris slapped his forehead. "Wait! We need items!"

Amber sighed. "We're never going to get out of Viridian, are we?"

Meowth shook her head. Trapinch replied, "Trap."

Chris ran off to the Poke Mart, and Amber collapsed on a bench, depressed. "I keep on getting pulled back…" Meowth rubbed against her leg. She petted her. "Am I supposed to go forward? Or should I start walking backwards?"

After about twenty minutes of waiting, Chris came back with his arms, and mouth, full. Amber crossed her arms. "Where'd you get the food, Chris?"

He tried to talk, but his mouth was full, so she just heard, "I gus voo va art, am I faw vis thine-"

Amber stopped him, and he swallowed and tried to explain, but she said, "I don't wanna hear it. Come on, before we become the trainers who break the all-time record of how long we've stayed in one city."

Chris crossed his arms and mimicked her. She stuck her tongue out at him. He did the same. Meowth jumped onto Amber's shoulder and licked her cheek. Amber sighed. "Come on, 'Mr. Pokemon Tamer'."

They walked down the path and finally reached the edge of the city. Amber took in the smell of the forest up ahead. She looked at Chris and smirked. "Race ya!"

He grinned back, and they started running. They were about to run inside the forest when, suddenly, the ground beneath their feet crumbled.

They fell and hit the bottom. Trapinch looked down at them from the edge of the hole. Meowth had been on Amber's shoulder, so she fell with them. Trapinch was too slow and didn't get caught.

They heard cackling. Amber looked around, but all she could see was dirt and sky. She looked at Trapinch, but he wasn't looking at them anymore. He was glaring across the hole, mouth open and ready to bite.

Meowth tried to climb up the dirt, but it crumbled away and she found herself back down where she started. Amber was about to yell to Trapinch to get help when two faces looked down at them.

The first had short blue hair and emerald eyes. The other one had long red hair that went down below her lower back (cough cough) and sharp blue eyes.

Amber yelled up, "Can you get us out?"

The red-haired girl laughed. "I'm sorry, twerp, but I can't do that! Not before I take your Pokemon!"

The boy looked at her and said, "But Jessie, they're only beginners! They don't have that much!"

Jessie glared at him. "Be quiet! I know that! We're also gonna snag their food! I haven't had a good meal in weeks!"

A Meowth popped up beside her. Surprisingly, he spoke. "Quit fighting, you twos! We gotta snag these guys' stuff and scram before the police come!"

Amber's Meowth meowed up at the speaking Meowth. He shouted, "What'd ya say? Do you wanna say that to my face, ya dirt rug, ya!"

The blue-haired boy looked at him. "What _did _she say, Meowth?"

Jessie whacked him in the head. "Shut up, James, and get that girl's Pokemon!"

James looked nervously at Trapinch, who was growling at him. He whispered, loud enough for Amber to hear, "But it's got big jaws!"

Jessie groaned. She poked Meowth. "Meowth, use Fury Swipes!"

Meowth looked at Trapinch. It snorted at him. He looked back at Jessie and crossed his arms. "Ya can't make me get near _that _booby-trap!"

Jessie shoved him out of the way and stomped over towards Trapinch. "Fine, I'll get it myself!" She smiled sweetly at Trapinch. "Come here, little guy! Come over here and play with me!"

It shook his head, and Jessie stopped smiling. "Come here, you little Feraligator thing!"

It charged towards her and slammed into her. She stumbled backwards and waved her arms for balance. James tried to help her, but Trapinch suddenly shot a black ball at him. He got slammed into a tree and slid down.

Jessie finally lost her balance and fell into the hole. Amber elbowed her in the stomach, Meowth scratched at her, and Chris kicked her in the head.

Jessie bit Amber's leg, and she bit back. James and Meowth dived into the fray, and it all became a blur. Trapinch looked down at them and smiled, before he did cannonball and knocked everyone senseless.

The two Meowths came to first. They flew at each other and hissed. Amber shook her head and kicked James in the back. He groaned, and Jessie shoved him so she could hit Chris. Chris used James as a shield and pushed him onto Jessie.

Suddenly, Trapinch roared very loud and long. Everyone froze. Trapinch glared at Jessie and James, and they shivered and scooted away from him.

Above them, they heard tires screeching and fast footsteps. A concerned blue-haired lady with a blue uniform looked down at them. She stood up and shouted to the sources of the extra footsteps, "Some kids are down here!"

A rope was thrown down at them, and Amber grabbed it, Meowth on her shoulder. After she climbed out and helped Chris, she turned to the lady. The lady held out her hand. "I'm Officer Jenny, part of the Police."

Amber shook it, and Officer Jenny frowned at them. "What happened?"

Chris looked at Jessie climbing out. "She tried to rob us, but Trapinch here," Trapinch trilled at Jenny. "He knocked them into the hole with us and roared out. Then you came."

Officer Jenny put her hands on her hips and stared Jessie down. James cowered behind her, but Jessie stood tall and proud and returned her glare. The talking Meowth was standing beside her on two paws, glancing around nervously.

Jessie snarled, "You think you're so smart, you little twerp. One day, I will get my revenge, and your filthy rug of a Meowth and that freaky Feraligator thing!"

The other police dragged her into a van, followed by James and Meowth. Jessie pounded the door in rage. "I'll get you!"

As it drove off, Officer Jenny turned back towards Amber and Chris. "Thank you for catching those crooks. They've been on the loose for a long time."

Amber shook her head. "We didn't catch them; we just kept them right where you wanted them."

Jenny smiled. "We didn't want them messing with any Trainers, but thank you for stopping them for us." She saluted them, and they did the same. Meowth put her paw to her gem and smiled.

Officer Jenny motioned at another officer, and he gave her their stuff. As Amber shouldered her bag, Jenny asked, "Do you think you guys will be okay?"

Amber nodded. "I've been through worse. I've had to outrun snakes and put a rabid Feraligator-like thing to sleep with only a flute, so I think I can make it."

Jenny smiled. "Well, take care then. Good luck!"

She got onto her motorcycle and drove off, waving back at them. Amber waved slightly, and Chris got out a notebook. Amber looked at him. "What's that?"

He took out a pencil and said, "It's my record book. I'm training to be the best Pokemon Tamer in the world, so I record things that I see that I think could be useful."

She looked over his shoulder. He covered it and said, "Nah ah ah! It's my secret!"

Amber pleaded, "Can you give me a hint?"

Chris smirked and crossed his arms. "It's about Trapinch and that talking Meowth."

Amber sighed. "If that's all I'll get, I guess we might as well start going."

Chris looked around. He gaped at the setting sun. "It's dusk already?"

Amber almost fell over. She yelled, "You didn't notice the sun descending towards the horizon? I would have thought you being the 'future Master Pokemon Tamer' that you would be more observant!"

Chris glared at her. "Well, _excuse me_! I didn't know I was able to look through dirt and into the sky!"

Amber crossed her arms. "If you didn't notice, there was a patch of sky right above our heads! If you looked up, you would have seen the orange sky!"

Chris stuck his tongue out at her. "I don't look up in the sky often, you know! I didn't know it was essential to life!"

Amber snorted. "Well, it may not be vital, but it is _smart_!"

"Oh, now you're calling me dumb?"

"I might be, yes! Got a problem with that?"

"You bet I do!"

Meowth and Trapinch were sitting on the dirt, watching the sun go lower and under the horizon. Trapinch sighed and walked over to them. He stepped in between them and growled. They stopped their incoming fists and backed away from him, and each other.

Meowth padded over to Amber and mewed. She looked at her and picked her up. She put her on her shoulder and started walking down the path. She looked back at Chris standing there, fists clenching and unclenching. "Well? Are ya coming?"

He looked like he was about to yell something at her, but a growl from Trapinch stopped him. He sighed and stomped over. They continued walking in silence, looking away from each other. Meowth looked at Trapinch walking to the right of Chris. He sighed and shook his head.

When they reached the edge of the forest, the sun was almost gone. They looked through the trees, but could only see pitch black. Chris chuckled nervously. "Maybe we should wait until morning…"

Amber laughed nervously too. "Yeah, we should save our strength. We wouldn't want to camp in the middle of there and lose our way, do we?"

Chris gulped. "No, we definitely don't want that!" He coughed. "Not that we're scared or anything!"

Meowth and Trapinch looked at each other and rolled their eyes simultaneously. Amber laid out her blanket while Chris flattened his sleeping bag. She took an apple out of her bag and handed it to Meowth.

She got out a sealed bowl for herself and took off the lid. She smelled the delicious aroma of her mother's home cooking. "Ah, Mom's beef stew…"

Chris took out a small gray device and pressed a button. It beeped and a small menu popped up on the screen. Amber tilted her head, but she didn't ask him what it was. She was still mad at him.

He pressed a few buttons and put the device to his ear. Amber scooted next to him and put her ear to it, too. She heard a dull ringing, before a woman's voice came up. The woman said, "Yes? Is this Chris?"

Chris laughed. "Hey, Mom! What's up?"

The woman laughed. "Everything's nice, dear! How's your journey so far?"

Chris smirked as he said, "It's great! Inferno's doing fine, and I got my first wild Pokemon!"

The woman laughed again. "Well, dear, that sounds exciting! Have you made any friends, other than Pokemon, of course?"

Chris cleared his throat. "Yeah, I made one. Her name's Amber."

"Well, I hope you two become good friends. Oops, I think dinner's done, I have to go. Bye, Chris!"

Chris whispered 'good-bye' as he heard a _click _and silence on the other end. He pressed a red button on the device and put it away. Amber quickly turned away and went back to eating her stew.

After she finished it, she asked him, "Was that your mom?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Yeah, she lives with my dad in the Johto region."

Amber sat cross-legged on her blanket. "What's it like?"

Chris looked at her confused. She explained, "I mean, what's Johto like?"

Chris sighed and lay down in his sleeping bag. He turned away from her. "It's not that different than here. Some different Pokemon, but that's really it."

Amber frowned. She got up and walked in front of him. She squatted down and looked at him. "Well, tell me what the Pokemon are like, then!"

Chris closed his eyes. After a while, he said, "There's one Pokemon that many people say is a myth. It's a giant bird with feathers the color of the rainbow…"

Amber looked at the small, tiny sliver of what was left of the sun. She imagined a bird flying in the light it cast; something that shined like a rainbow.

She looked back at him. "Has anyone ever found any proof?"

Chris shook his head. "Like I said, some say it's a myth."

Amber looked at Meowth curling up on her blanket. She looked back at Chris. "There's a Pokemon like that here, too."

Chris opened one eye and looked at her. "There is?"

Amber nodded. "People here say it isn't real, but I think it is."

Chris sat up and blinked. "What do they say it looks like?"

Amber closed her eyes, thinking. "It's like this small pink cat with a tail twice as long as its body. It floats around in the sky and can form a pink bubble around itself. Anything else is unknown to us."

Chris scratched his head. "You know, there's a Pokemon in Johto that's called Unknown."

Amber scratched Meowth behind her ears. "That's really weird… What's it like?"

Chris crossed his arms and looked up at the stars that were just coming out. "There are a lot of different kinds of them, but I met one."

Amber's eyes widened. "Really? What'd it look like?"

Chris frowned and looked at her. "It looked like an 'F'. Simple as that."

Amber sat there, stumped. "So that means…"

Chris nodded. "There might as well be a whole alphabet of them. There could be 26 different kinds of them, for all we know!"

Amber looked up at the sky. A shooting star shot across the dark sky. She closed her eyes, thinking. She thought, _I wish I could meet some exotic and new Pokemon…just one, that's it._

The Pikachu star winked at her as they went to sleep.

**Will they ever meet any new, exotic Pokemon? Will they ever enter Viridian forest? Will Team Rocket find them again? (probably)**

**Well, you'll just have to wait until the next chapter for that! I will give you a spoiler after this, though, so spoiler-haters just skip to reviewing after you read the thank you list.**

**Thank you to:**

**SPOILER!**

**Amber wakes up early and finds that Meowth and Trapinch are nowhere to be found. When she finds them, though, she also finds…Oops! Almost said too much! Well, keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing!**

**Ja ne!**


	5. More Trouble

At first, all Amber knew was that sunlight was burning through her eyelids. But, eventually, she opened her eyes sleepily and sat up, yawning. She rubbed her eyes and glanced around, eyes squinting in the sunlight.

She almost fell over. It was just dawn! She could get more sleep!

But, as she went to lie back down, she heard trilling far off. She looked around. Meowth and Trapinch were nowhere to be seen.

She looked to her right and saw Chris curled up in his sleeping bag, snoring peacefully. She again thought about going back to sleep, (She might as well follow the idea Chris had: sleeping in) but she got up and looked for Meowth and Trapinch.

She listened hard, and sure enough she heard more trilling coming from the forest. She glanced back at Chris and made sure he was truly asleep, then dashed into the forest.

She followed the trilling, and soon came into a small clearing with a small dirt path. She stepped on the dirt carefully so as to not alarm anything.

She saw Meowth and Trapinch talking to something in the bushes. Whatever it was, it seemed they wanted it to come out.

Amber carefully walked around them, trying to get a look of the creature. But, she stepped on a twig, and a rustling in the bushes showed that whatever it was had gone.

Meowth looked up at her and pawed at the bushes. Amber looked at her questioningly, and she suddenly ran into the bushes. Trapinch trilled at Amber and ran in after her.

Amber stood there for a split second, wondering whether she should go after them. But, curiosity got the better of her, and she ran after them.

The only way Amber could follow them was by following the path of destruction Trapinch left behind him. She followed the snapped twigs and dents in trees until she came upon another clearing, only this time there was no path this time.

What she saw amazed her. In the trees were thousands of different Pokemon: Caterpie, Metapod, Pidgey, and even some Rattata.

Meowth was under one of the trees and clawing on the trunk. Something quivered in the leaves, but it hid itself from Amber well.

Slowly, Amber edged to the tree by Meowth. Meowth pawed at the trunk, before jumping up onto a branch and climbing up.

Amber grabbed the lowest branch and pulled herself up. She climbed up onto a strong branch and sat down.

She looked up at the highest branches. She saw something yellow dart behind the leaves.

Meowth jumped up onto her branch and used it as a platform. She leapt up a few branches and meowed at Amber.

Amber sighed. She grabbed another branch. "There's only one way to find out!"

_Chris…_

Chris yawned and rubbed his eyes. He looked around, but he couldn't see Amber, Meowth, or Trapinch anywhere.

His first thought was that they abandoned him. But when he saw her pack beside her blanket, he sighed in relief.

He took out Inferno's Poke Ball and let him out. The Charmander stretched out on the grass before looking around. He looked at Chris questioningly. Chris looked towards the forest. "They're probably checking the place out."

Inferno crossed his arms and looked at him doubtfully. Chris nodded confidently. "I know she's around here somewhere!"

Inferno rolled his eyes, but he followed Chris into the forest. They walked down the path, looking around at the trees and bushes.

Inferno pulled on his pant leg. He pointed over at four trails of footprints. Chris walked over and bent down.

The first track that looked the oldest had a paw/claw like look to it. The second was definitely a Meowth's pawprints. The third was stubby and small. The last was made by a kid. "Amber…"

He looked down the way they ran. There was a clear path of broken twigs and scratches on rocks. Chris had to stifle a laugh. "Trapinch…"

He started to walk down the path, but Inferno stopped him. He shook his head. Chris smiled. "Come on, there's nothing out here…except Weedle and Caterpie…and where you see Weedle, there's Kakuna, and where there's Kakuna, you'll find –"

"Help!"

Chris and Inferno both jumped. They looked around, and Chris ran down the path. "Beedril!"

He emerged in a clearing with giant trees splitting the dirt paths. Chris looked up and saw a swarm of Beedril surrounding a tree. He saw Amber, Meowth, and Trapinch in the highest branches, fending them off. Trapinch shot black balls out at them, and Meowth scratched the ones that came too close.

Amber finally jumped out of the tree clutching Trapinch and Meowth and hit the ground hard. He stumbled and almost fell down, but she ran away from the swarm. She saw Chris, sped past him, and yelled, "Run!"

Chris stared at the swarm and gulped. He turned around, picked up Inferno, and ran. Amber dropped Meowth and let her run beside her. Meowth looked around and meowed at them. She ran to the right and disappeared. Chris yelled to Amber, "She wants us to follow her!"

She turned and nodded, and they ran after Meowth. The Beedril's buzzing kept them going, holding Trapinch and Inferno tightly.

They burst out of the trees and almost ran into the river. Meowth and Chris screeched to a halt, but Amber crashed into them and sent them all into the water.

They resurfaced and held onto their Pokemon. Amber put Trapinch in his Poke Ball and stuck her tongue out at the Beedril. "Hah! You can't get us!"

Meowth looked ahead and mewed in alarm. Chris turned and gulped. Amber grabbed onto Meowth tightly, and they entered the rapids.

They were tossed and churned as the water flowed over sharp rocks. They barely missed the rocks as they flowed with the water. They went under quite a couple of times, and they came up gasping for air.

Finally, the water calmed down, but kept its speed. Amber laughed. "Well, I'm glad that's over!"

Meowth and Chris looked at where the current was flowing. Chris whispered, "Don't speak too soon."

Amber looked and gasped. They were about to fall off a waterfall, probably really high in the air! Amber looked at Meowth. "Get in your Poke Ball! You'll be safer there!"

Chris grabbed her arm and yelled, "It's too late for that!"

At first, they felt as if they were floating. Nothing held them up in the air. Then, their stomachs dropped as gravity kicked in. They fell towards the water below.

They barely had enough time to breathe before they hit the water. They plunged into the dark depths. Chris opened his eyes. He saw Meowth clinging to Amber, both of them unconscious.

He grabbed them both and pumped his legs towards the surface. Many different Water Pokemon swam past them. Chris looked down and almost lost his breath. A Gyrados had noticed them and was swimming towards them.

Chris kicked his feet and tried to swim faster. The Gyrados suddenly shot a Hydro Pump up at them. It pushed them up and into the sky. It held them up for a while, before it disappeared and they started to fall back towards the water.

The Gyrados jumped out of the water and caught them on its fin. It flipped them onto its back and swam towards the shore. Chris sat there, eyes wide, and the Gyrados looked at him…

And smiled.

The Gyrados slanted its head down, and they slid off of his head and onto the bank. Chris looked up at it as it swam away. He smiled weakly and stuttered, "Thanks…"

The Gyrados looked at him and smiled before it disappeared under the water.

Chris stared at where it disappeared until he saw Amber stirring. She sat up and looked around. "What…where…?"

She tried to stand up, but she winced in pain and fell down. She looked at her ankle. "Oww…" She tried to get up again, but she fell down. She tried hard not to yell; she bit her lip so hard it started to bleed.

Chris looked over at the waterfall and towards Viridian City. He sighed. "How are we going to get your backpack and stuff when we fell off a waterfall, got chased by a swarm of Beedril, and you twisted your ankle?"

Amber looked up defiantly. "I can walk!" She stood up and leaned against a tree. She forced herself to smile. "See? I can walk perfectly fine!"

Chris shook his head as she fell down. "Yeah, you can walk 'perfectly fine' afteryour leg gets numb from you being stubborn and not resting. Then it'll be fine."

Amber scowled at him. "Well, sorry, Dr. Chris! I just want my stuff back!"

Meowth opened one eye and stared at them as they started fighting again. Trapinch's Poke Ball shook, and he came out and sat beside her. He looked over at the waterfall. "Trapinch trap…"

Meowth nodded. "Meowth meowth."

_That night…_

After they had stopped fighting, Chris had finally got her to lie down. She glared up at the stars as he looked for firewood. He had left Inferno with her to keep an eye on her.

She scowled at the Charmander. He shrugged and sat down. Meowth and Trapinch sat beside him, helping him make sure she stayed down. Finally, she glared at them and groaned, "Traitors!" She rolled over on her side and crossed her arms.

Chris came back with his arms full of wood, and put it down on the ground in a pile. Inferno put his tail on it, and it soon glowed. He blew on it, and a small ember flared up. Soon, it grew into a roaring fire.

Chris looked at her ankle. "Feeling better?"

Amber grunted. Chris shook his head and poked her foot. She winced. He grinned and sat beside the fire, warming his hands.

She glared at the embers, fire dancing in her eyes. They were quiet for a long time, not saying anything. The only sound for a while was the cackling fire and the sounds of the night.

Finally, Chris turned to her. "Where do you live?"

Amber looked up at him. "Pallet Town…"

He nodded, before gasping. "You mean you live with Prof. Oak?"

She looked at his shocked face in surprise. "Yeah, so?"

Chris stood up. "Professor Oak is one of the most intelligent men in the world!"

Amber sat up. "But I thought your dad was a Professor, too, right?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah, but he was taught under Prof. Oak! How come you never told me you knew him?"

Amber shrugged. "You never asked."

Chris sighed. "Well, so what?"

Amber lay back down. "It's not like I tell everyone in the world what my blood type and address is, you know."

Chris crossed his arms. "Still, you could have told me."

Amber sighed. "Whatever…"

They became quiet once again, and Meowth curled up next to Amber and dozed off. Amber scratched her behind her ear, making her purr subconsciously. Trapinch just dug another hole by the fire, a small one, and went to sleep.

Chris looked at Meowth. "How'd you get her?"

Amber looked at the sleeping cat. "On my birthday, not too long ago, I went to Prof. Oak's lab, and I went through a lot of Pokemon before he suggested her. I loved her at first sight." She rubbed her nose into her fur. "So fluffy!"

Chris smiled at Inferno curled up, his tail by the fire to keep them both lit. "My dad had found Inferno in the grass. It seems someone abandoned him in the grass, and he was badly hurt. So, my dad took him in, and talked to mom for a while. Finally, she caved in and let me have it."

Amber smiled. "My mom would've never caved in. She's allergic to Pokemon fur."

Chris scratched his head. "Well, that must be tough, living in a town with Pokemon."

Amber nodded. "Yeah, but she can be with non-furred Pokemon, like Magnemite and Grimer. Of course, Grimer smells horrible."

Chris sat beside her. "You seem to know a lot about the Pokemon here."

Amber grinned. "No, I just read a lot of books. But I do know that you can only get an Arcanine by evolving a Growlithe with a Fire Stone."

Chris crossed his arms. "Tell me more."

So she told him all about the Pokemon, like how there was 150 over here, (151 if you count Mew) how many types there was, and all about the terrain of Kanto. Chris listened intently as she explained all about the Gyms and Elite Four.

"There are eight Gym badges you have to obtain to enter the League," She explained. "That's where the Elite Four wait after the winding road called Victory Road."

Chris scratched his head. "Man, there's a lot to learn about here in Kanto!"

Amber nodded. "Yeah, but once you get the hang of it, it comes naturally. Take my dad for instance. He used to work at a Pokemon Hospital. He was very inexperienced at first, but soon he was allowed to take care of his own patients. Now he's a natural at helping Pokemon."

Chris frowned. "Was he ever a Pokemon Trainer?"

Amber shook her head. "He wanted to be one, but his dad told him that it didn't get him any money and that he should get a real job. So, he did the closest thing to Pokemon as possible, and now he's an excellent healer."

Chris nodded his head. "He sounds like he's very accomplished."

Amber smiled. "He's very smart, and he's gotten an award once for 'Best Employee of the'… was it month or year?" She shrugged. "Oh well, I do know he got an award."

Chris laid out his sleeping bag. "What about your mom?"

Amber lay down on her blanket. "She's a home mother. Dad works when he's called up for emergencies, and she stays home to take care of the house."

Chris nodded. "My mom's like that, too. Dad might let her help out in the lab sometimes, but for the most part she stays home."

Amber looked up at the stars. She pointed out a string of stars. "There's the Milotic Constellation!" Chris looked up. "Where? All I see is a bunch of dots."

Amber pointed out the wavy line. "That's its head, and the group of stars that it looks like it encircles is the Teddiursa Constellation."

Chris squinted. "You mean that spoon shaped one?"

Amber looked at him and nodded. "Don't you see these constellations back at home?"

Chris looked at her. "I don't look at the stars often. I look up, see them, and I go on with life."

Amber looked back up at the stars. "Well, you should look around you and enjoy what you see. If you don't, you'll miss out on a lot."

Chris stretched out. "Well, I'm gonna crash. I'm as tired as a Snorlax." He got up and walked over to his sleeping bag. Amber glanced at Meowth and petted her softly. Meowth purred and curled up into a ball.

She looked into the trees. She thought she saw something move. She scooted closer to Trapinch's hole. The jaw Pokemon rolled over in his sleep.

A twig snapped. Amber gulped and scooted closer to the hole. The eerie silence after that caused her to scoot as close to the hole as possible. Her nerves were about to snap when she heard someone whispering.

She listened hard. Someone, a woman, was whispering something. Her voice sounded like wind as it flowed around her, pulling her up. She picked up a stick and used it as a crutch, and started walking into the forest.

The darkness seemed to taunt her as she crawled slowly towards the voice. Eyes looked out from under leaves and in holes in the trees as she wobbled through the trees. She looked around for a sign of the woman, but she didn't see anything.

She came to a river, and stood there looking around. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the leaves, ruffling her hair and clothes. Leaves and flower petals floated in the wind, and seemed to form a shape in the air. A woman made entirely out of petals and leaves stood there, looking straight at her.

Amber stared at her, unable to move. Her feet were rooted to the spot. The woman smiled, and opened her mouth. She began to chant something in some unknown language, without any recognizable sounds in it. Her voice rose and fell like leaves in the air.

Amber stood there and listened to her, unable to do otherwise. As the woman continued, she seemed to start to fade away. She finally found her voice and said in a sort of cracked voice, "Who are you?"

The woman's body was already gone, and she smiled at her. Then, the face disappeared, and the petals flowed through the air and landed on the river. They floated down the river in a sheet, almost completely covering the surface.

After a while, Amber realized she was still by the river. She grunted as she turned around and headed back the same way she came. She dropped the stick by her backpack and carefully laid herself on her blanket. She looked up at the stars, but she could only see the Pikachu star, glowing among other very bright stars. She nodded off under its watchful gaze.

When she woke up a little before dawn, she looked around to see the fire out and her backpack by Chris. The stick she had used to walk around was lying against the tree she had found it before.

She stared around, confused, and concluded she must have imagined the whole thing. She laid back down and fell asleep. Her dreams included the mysterious woman singing among cherry blossoms and holding a small carving in her hands, as a small Pikachu beside her played the flute, rising up in high notes and low notes. The woman examined the carving in her hands, a carving of a dancing Pikachu.

She was left with other disturbing and restless thoughts later off in her sleep.


	6. A Little More Trouble

The sun shined through the leaves overhead as dawn passed and it grew later in the day.

Chris woke up bright and early, the sunlight casting a cool green glow around him. He breathed in the fresh air, enjoying the scents of the late morning. The air had time to accumulate different and odd scents as other creatures awoke and added their exotic aromas to the still atmosphere.

(Very descriptive! )

He looked at Inferno lying beside him, still asleep. He slightly shook him, and the little lizard yawned and lazily opened his eyes. He looked up at his trainer questioningly.

Chris smiled. "Do you wanna take a walk, Inferno?"

Inferno smiled. "Char!"

Chris put his hand over the small lizard Pokemon's mouth, but Amber just rolled over and mumbled something. Chris sighed in relief. He put a finger to his mouth, and Inferno nodded. They got up and walked out into the forest.

Chris was amazed at all of the life around him. Caterpie crawled up trees and upside-down on branches, and Metapods clung to tree trunks as they waited for evolution. Butterfree fluttered from flower to flower, dipping down and flying up in graceful arcs. Weedle were the only dangerous things he saw, but it was easy to step over them. One looked up at him, said something in Pokemon, and crawled up a tree.

He passed a tree full of Pidgey. They looked down and chirped at him. Inferno looked up and waved. One of the newborn hatchlings waved back, before its mother nudged it back into its nest. Rattata scurried across their path many times, and Chris almost tripped as they dashed in front of him, between his legs, and into him. He slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot!"

He took out the Poke Ball he had used to capture the Rattata and threw it. The Rat Pokemon blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, and he chattered as he saw the forest around him. He sniffed each bush and tree, chattering excitedly.

Chris crouched down and sat cross-legged on the ground, and Inferno leapt into his lap. Chris rubbed him on the head as he watched Rattata chatter up at the Pidgey in the trees, probably doing regular small talk.

He scratched his head. "I need to name you, little guy." The Rattata looked at him and chattered, before he went back to the Pidgey.

Chris smiled. "He sure is talkative…what would be a good name for you?" He leaned against a tree and put his hands behind his head. Inferno looked at the mouse and tilted his head. He got out of Chris' lap and tapped his leg.

Chris looked at him. "What is it, buddy?"

Inferno put up four fingers and tapped his claw. Chris frowned. "'Four words'?"

Inferno nodded. He walked around a bit, before he jumped up and down, scratched his head, kicked a rock, and tilted his head. Chris stared at him blankly. Inferno sighed and picked up a stick. He drew a stick figure doing a lot of stunts, before he sat back and waited for Chris to figure it out.

After a while, he asked, "Do you mean 'do'?"

Inferno smiled and clapped. Chris smiled back. "Okay, next word."

Inferno walked over to him and pointed at him. Chris looked at his claw. "I?"

Inferno smiled again and jumped around. He put up the number three and started his impression.

He hugged himself, and then he hugged Chris, a tree, a rock, a bush, and Rattata. After a couple of hugs, Chris said. "Hug? Love? Like?"

Inferno nodded and put up three. Chris smiled. "Do I like…"

Inferno put up four claws. He started running around him, going in a circle, until he collapsed onto the ground, so dizzy he saw three of Chris.

Chris smiled and picked him up. "Speedy?"

Inferno blinked and nodded. Chris smiled again. "Do I like Speedy?"

He looked at Rattata chattering angrily at a Pidgey that was chirping at him loudly. Rattata ran around the tree once and chattered rapidly, and ran around it again.

Chris smirked and looked at Inferno. "Yes, I think Speedy will fit him just fine."

Inferno smiled and hugged him as if to say 'thanks, buddy!' Chris hugged him back. "You're the best friend a guy could have!"

_Amber_

Amber sat up and stretched. She rubbed her eyes and looked at Chris' sleeping spot.

It was empty.

She looked around, but she didn't see him anywhere. She didn't see Inferno, either.

She slowly got up and grabbed the stick beside her blanket. She supported herself and looked around for any sign of him. She accidentally whacked Meowth in the head, and she blinked lazily and rubbed her head.

Amber patted her on the head. "Sorry, Meowth. I'm looking for Chris."

Meowth mewed at her and got up, stretched, and padded over to the hole. Trapinch was in there, snorting at something in a dream. Meowth kicked a rock into the hole, and it hit Trapinch in the head. He yawned and opened his mouth wide, before he climbed out of the hole and looked at Amber hopping over to Chris' sleeping bag.

Amber picked up Chris' light blanket and looked under it. Nothing was there. She wobbled back to her bag and sat down. "He better not have left me," she mumbled to herself. "Or I'll kill him."

Meowth padded up to her and rubbed her knee as if to say 'Don't worry about it'. Amber smiled and petted her softly. "Thanks, Meowth. I just don't think I could find my way out of here alone." She sighed. "I hate to say it, but I need that annoying kid."

Meowth looked up at Amber and mewed in a scornful-like tone, as if replying 'He's not _that _annoying'. Amber crossed her arms. "Are you on my side or what?"

Meowth purred and rubbed against her leg again. Amber smiled and petted her. "I'm just joking. You're my pal!" Trapinch growled and rubbed against her arm. Amber smiled and rubbed him on the top of his head. "You too, Trapinch!" Trapinch trilled with satisfaction.

She reached for the stick, which was out of her reach until Meowth pushed it closer, and got up, grunting at the effort. Trapinch slowly got up and grunted as he lifted his head. Meowth stretched out her paws and yawned loudly before she shook her head as if to shake away the tiredness.

They slowly proceeded into the forest, making sure to mark where they had camped just in case they got lost, and explored. It wasn't as active as it was when Chris was up earlier because it was broad daylight, and many predators came out. In fact, the only Pokemon they saw were bird Pokemon; Spearow, Pidgey, maybe even a Pidgeotto. Amber put up her Pokedex to each one as she went along. (Yes, she had her Pokedex in her pocket but not her stuff)

"_Pidgey, the tiny bird Pokemon. Does not like to fight. It hides in tall grass and so on, foraging for food such as small bugs."_

"_Pidgeotto, the evolve form of Pidgey. The claws on its feet are well developed. It can carry prey such as an Exeggcute to its nest over 60 miles away."_

"_Spearow, the tiny bird Pokemon. It_ _busily flits around here and there. Even if it is frail, it can be a tough foe that uses Mirror Move."_

After a while of walking, Amber started to get tired. Se panted as she went along, looking for Chris. Meowth meowed worriedly, but Amber shook her head stubbornly. "I'm fine, Meowth! Nothing's wrong with MEEEE!"

She had tripped on a rock and fell over; she hit her chin and made her bite her tongue. She also grazed her elbow on her walking stick, which was bent in half. She hissed in pain as her ankle throbbed. "Ouch!"

Meowth and Trapinch both ran to her side and looked at her as if asking, 'Are you okay?' Amber slowly turned onto her back and slowly sat up. She held her elbow and winced as her ankle throbbed along with it. "Man, that was a nasty fall!"

"Amber?"

Amber looked up to see Chris standing there with Inferno and his Rattata, newly named Speedy unknown to her. He looked down at her and saw her injuries and her expression. He stepped forward and held out his hand to help her up. "Amber, are you okay?"

Amber grabbed it and he pulled her up. She wobbled on one foot and looked at her walking stick. "Aww, man!"

Before she fell again, Chris steadied her, and they walked back to camp, Amber leaning against him for support and her arm over his left shoulder. While they walked slowly, Amber asked him, "Where were you?"

Chris looked at her. "I was just taking a walk. What were you doing with that injured ankle of yours?"

Amber looked at him and blinked. "Looking for you! You nearly made me think you left me!"

Chris replied as they arrived at the camp, "I didn't think you'd wake up before I came back, but I got a little sidetracked watching the Pokemon." He helped her sit down on her sleeping blanket and walked over to roll up his. After he was done, he turned to her. "Besides, I wouldn't have left you, anyways."

Amber looked up at him from petting Meowth. "Really? Why?"

Chris opened his mouth, hesitated, and sighed before he answered simply, "It's not right to leave some injured person alone in the forest."

Amber didn't believe that was the full story, but she didn't push him as she did as best as she could to fold her blanket on the ground. Meowth helped, and afterwards Trapinch put it on his back. He didn't seem to mind much. Chris put Inferno and Speedy back in their Poke Balls and put them on his belt and slung his blanket over his shoulder. He looked at Amber. "Well, let's get going."

He went to help Amber up, but she grabbed onto a tree trunk and pulled herself up. After a moment she let go of the trunk, but her ankle couldn't take it, and Chris grabbed her hand before she fell. He pulled her up. "It's not done healing yet; you should wait until it's done before you can walk on your own again."

Amber stared at the ground and grumbled as he put his arm on her shoulder and vica versa, "I hate it when I can't do things myself…"

Chris grinned as they walked off into the forest. "Well, everybody needs help sometimes, even the smartest and the strongest."

After a moment of silence, Amber muttered something that Chris couldn't hear. After he asked her what she said, she repeated louder, "Not my dad…"

He looked at her, curiosity overwhelming him. "What?"

She kept staring at the ground as she spoke. "My dad is very smart; he doesn't need any help at all. He never messes up, ever." She looked at her shoes. "I can't do much right……"

Chris thought for a moment, looking at her depressed expression. He smiled. "I'm sure he's made some mistake sometime in his life! Besides, everybody makes mistakes. There's no reason to be ashamed of them!" He laughed. "You should learn from them instead of dwell on them. They give you a chance to get better. It's not something to be all negative about."

Amber sighed. "I guess you're right…"

Chris smirked. "Aren't I always?"

Amber rolled her eyes and grinned. "Sure you are, just like a Psyduck with two left feet!"

Chris laughed. "Oh yeah, Gyrados? Better hold your temper down, I wish to live!" He mocked screamed in fright, and Amber shoved him jokingly.

Meowth looked up at her, smiling. Amber and Chris were acting like old friends, and they only met, what, three days ago? Not even!

Trapinch looked at Meowth and smiled. "Trap, trap Trapinch!"

Meowth nodded. "Meow meowth, mew mew meowth!"

Trapinch looked up at Amber and Chris laughing, and something crossed his mind. He looked at Meowth. "Trap, Trap?"

Meowth tilted her head. "Meow?"

Trapinch smirked as best he could with his huge mouth. "Trap Trapinch, trap Trapinch trap, trap Trapinch trap…tra trap trap, Trapinch, trap?"

Meowth looked at Amber talking with Chris as they continued on their way. After a moment or two, she grinned. She looked at Trapinch. "Meow meowth mew me-OWTH!" She put her paw to her gem in mock salute.

Trapinch nodded, still smirking, and glanced at Chris and Amber walking slowly. He snorted. "Trapinch, trap Trapinch."

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(From Pokemon's view, so I will translate this. Translation for above is at the bottom)

As Amber and Chris were sleeping in the small blankets they had, Trapinch peeked out of his hole. When he saw the coast was clear, he slowly got out and tiptoed over to Meowth. He whispered, 'Meowth? You awake?"

Meowth opened an eye and smirked. 'Are you kidding? Who could sleep?'

Trapinch nodded, and she got up and carefully tiptoed over to Chris. They didn't want to wake him up, but they had a plan.

Before they had gone to sleep, the two scheming Pokemon had put them as close to each other as possible. It made the job a lot easier. Now, they quickly pulled his blanket off. He shivered and reached around in his sleep for the light blanket he had.

They kept it barely out of his reach, until he got up in semi-consciousness and yawned. They slowly inched towards Amber, letting Chris' finger barely graze the tip of the blanket. They put it over Amber and jumped backwards as Chris grabbed it sleepily.

He yawned and lay down beside her, pulling the blanket over himself as well. After a few seconds, he started snoring again.

Meowth and Trapinch smiled and did a Pokemon high-five. 'Yeah! Mission complete!'

When they went back to their respective spots, Trapinch looked over the edge of his hole at Meowth curled up beside Amber. 'Don't you feel guilty doing this to her? I mean, her being your trainer and everything…'

Meowth smirked and opened an eye to stare at him. 'Well, what's life if you don't live on the edge?' Then, she closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep.

Trapinch shook his head. 'You're a strange cat, Meowth.' He lay down in his hole and closed his eyes.

'But you're pretty cool, too!'

Would you like to know what Trapinch and Meowth said to each other while they were walking? Well, here's their conversation!

Trapinch: Man, haven't they've gotten along quickly enough!

Meowth: They sure seem like good friends, they act as if they've known each other forever!

Trapinch: Hey, Meowth?

Meowth: Yeah?

Trapinch: Do you want to help me, Pokemon with Pokemon, do a little…shall we say, a fun prank, eh?

Meowth: If you're thinking what I'm thinking, YEAH!

Trapinch: And now, we wait.

Well? Like the story? PLEASE REVIEW! Nobody's reviewed at all for a while, except pokebunny, and it really gets me down… (sniff) PLEASE REVIEW THIS, FOR ME!

Ja ne!


	7. Friends Reunited and Even MORE Trouble!

Amber was awoken by the sound of snoring in the middle of the night. (unknown to her, that was only an hour after the Pokemon went to sleep)

She slowly opened one her eyes, her eyesight blurry and her head feeling light-headed from dehydration. They had left their water in their backpacks, and they only had some water after Chris had saved Meowth and her from drowning. _Speaking of which…how did he save us, anyway? He never said what happened._

She stretched out her arms and was about to yawn when her left arm brushed up against something. She froze with her eyes wide open and her senses wide awake. She slowly looked left, and saw a bundle in a blanket snoring beside her.

She slowly and carefully reached the edge of the blanket and lifted it a bit, and saw Chris' sleeping face.

"AIEEEEEEE!" She leapt up about three feet and sat staring at him, her heart pounding. _He scared the crap out of me! _She thought as she wondered how he got from one side of the tree to the other and next to her. She stopped for a moment, and started to wonder how she didn't notice the extra warmth. _Come to think of it, it did feel a bit different when I was asleep…I felt a bit safer and secure…_

She blushed a dark red and scooted a bit from him, thinking about whether she should wake him up or not. Even though she had been right next to him and screamed out of pure fright and surprise, he snored away, his face calm as he slept. Amber gulped. _This is… some predicament… Why'd I feel safe, anyway?_

She shrugged it off, assuming that it was probably because she imagined of her mother, and pulled the blanket. Unfortunately, Chris had a hold of both blankets, and wouldn't let go. She tugged harder and harder, but right before she yanked it as hard as she could, he rolled over in his sleep away from her, and ended up pulling the blanket hard and jerking her down. She ended up on top of him, and he awoke with a start.

"W-wha?"

Amber was on top of his side, so if he looked to his left (her up) he'd see her face next to his. Which he did, naturally.

Amber and him had a bit of a strange staring contest for a while, frozen in shock. They both had a blotch of red staining their cheeks. Finally, after a moment, Amber was thrown off as Chris jumped up. She landed roughly on the ground, hurting her ankle. She rubbed it and looked up at Chris standing over her. "Uhh, i-it's n-not, umm…"

Chris didn't say anything; he just stared at her with his mouth slightly open, not even blinking. Amber gulped and chuckled nervously. "Umm, would you l-l-let me explain before you j-jump to conclusions?"

Chris didn't move, other than his mouth. But nothing was coming out of it.

Amber immediately went to defend herself. "I was asleep, and when I woke up, you were sleeping right next to me!" She said, an accusing tone lingering in her voice.

Chris blinked. "What?"

Amber crossed her arms. "You heard me! _You _were sleeping next to _me _when I woke up! I didn't move at all last night!"

Chris stuttered nonsense for a moment, before he answered, "What? I was sleeping all the way over there! I didn't move at all, either!" He crossed his arms. "How do I know you aren't lying?"

Amber made a face. "Why would I want to sleep next to _you_? Besides, you stole my blanket!"

Chris scoffed. "I did not!"

"Well, then the ground must have had pretty strong hands!"

"Well, I didn't move next to you! Why would I, anyway?" He turned away and hmphed.

Amber scoffed. "I don't know! I can't read your mind!" She looked away and muttered under her breath.

They stood/sat there for a while, stubborn minds fuming madly. They had their own beliefs and stuck to them, whether they were true or false. They both thought along the lines of, 'that jerk, now I'm not gonna be able to sleep for days!'

Unfortunately, they lost their steam rather quickly, and it became rather uncomfortable to stay in the same position for long. However, they weren't going to let down without a fight.

Chris heard Amber yawn, though she tried to stifle it, but it was just too big of a yawn. He sighed and picked up his blanket. "It's still dark; we should go back to sleep."

Amber watched him walk off towards the other side of the camp. It was very quiet, but before he could lie down she suddenly blurted out, "What _did _happen when you saved me?" After a moment of silence, she quickly added, "I mean me and Meowth, of course…"

Chris stopped, his hand left stretched out, holding the blanket in mid-air. He glanced at her for a moment, before he looked down at the ground. "After we fell off of the waterfall, I swam until a Gyrados suddenly shot me out of the water. It acted very strangely, though, because it carried us to the river bank and…" He shivered as he remembered the long serpentine Pokemon's sly and mischievous smirk.

Amber frowned. "And…?"

Chris put the blanket down and laid down on it, facing away from her. "It smiled at me."

Amber shivered as well, imagining how creepy it must have been riding a Gyrados that kept smiling at you… She lay back down, her ankle starting to stop throbbing. She looked up at the sky, or at least what she could see through the branches. "That sounds eerie…"

Chris didn't reply as they listened to the Bug Pokemon singing to the wind and stars. Soon, Amber heard Chris' snoring as he breathed in a slow and steady pattern. Amber, however, couldn't sleep as she thought of the Gyrados, the odd snake Pokemon, and Trapinch. _There's so many strange Pokemon out there… I wonder what else we'll run into…_

After about an hour of pondering, she finally succumbed to a restless sleep, filled with swimming ghosts and roaring tentacles that pulled her down into the depths of darkness…

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Chris was, like last time, the first to awaken. He got up and stretched his arms up to the sky, yawning loudly. He heard Amber turn over in her sleep, mumbling something. He glanced over at her to make sure she was in her spot. She was still by the tree he left her at, dreaming away the morning.

Chris stretched his legs, and Inferno's Poke Ball fell from his belt. The Poke Ball opened, and the lizard Pokemon yawned and rotated its shoulders to get the numbness out of them. He looked up at his trainer. "Char."

Chris smiled. "Good morning, Inferno!"

Chris let out Rattata as well, and Inferno started to chat with him. They chattered on (and Rattata literally _chattered_) as Chris gathered his blanket up and folded it. He put it beside where he slept and walked into the forest towards where he thought he could hear water rushing.

He soon found what he was looking for, and he looked around for something he could use as a container. He finally found a pretty big leaf and scooped up water into it. He also used his pockets to hold some berries that he found that were edible. As he neared camp, he heard Amber talking. He slowed down and peeked from behind a tree.

Amber was talking with Meowth. Or, rather, she was arguing with her.

"What do you mean, 'did I have a good sleep last night'?" She nearly shouted at the relaxed scratch cat Pokemon. "I found myself next to Chris, and you asked if I slept at _all?_"

After she was done shouting, Meowth gave some cool, short reply Chris couldn't hear that made a vein on Amber's head pop out as her blood began to boil. She yelled, "WHAT? You little furry devil with paws, you! I'LL KILL YOU!"

As she chased her around the camp, Meowth looked back at her and meowed something tauntingly. Amber stopped and slowly turned to Trapinch. "You were in on it, _too?_" As Trapinch nodded smugly, Amber's whole face turned into a beet. Whether it was from embarrassment, anger, or maybe both, Chris couldn't tell. Amber tackled the jaw Pokemon, and Meowth joined the wrestle. Chris found it the perfect time to walk in, and they froze as he did.

Meowth was trying to gnaw off Amber's arm while Trapinch had his jaws latched to her foot and Amber was biting Meowth's ear and trying to pry open his mouth at the same time. Chris laughed at the scene and Amber immediately jumped up, dropping the two mischievous Pokemon onto the ground, and yelled, pointing at them, "_They're the reason we were sleeping next to each other!_"

Chris glared at the two Pokemon, and they exchanged glances and gulped. Chris put the leaf with water down and put the berries beside it before he stood beside Amber. "So, you two are responsible for nearly making us tear each other's throats out?"

The two Pokemon nodded fearfully, wondering where he was going with this.

"Well," He looked at Amber. "Ladies first."

Amber rolled up her sleeves and stomped towards them. "My pleasure!"

The Pokemon squealed and ran off at high speeds away from the rampaging Amber, but she was pretty fast when angry, even with her ankle. _Speaking of her ankle… _Chris stepped out in front of her, making her stop. He opened his mouth to say something, but we'll never know what he was gonna say.

Why?

…Somebody screamed in the distance.

Amber and Chris immediately looked around, but before they could act they heard the bushes rustling beside them. They didn't even have time to blink as something leaf green burst out of the bushes and rammed into Amber. They fell over, and Chris stared at her.

There, her eyes scrunched tight from fear and pain, was Celia. She was wearing her nice light green dress with lace and floral patterns all over, which nobody would even catch Amber _dead _in, and a dark green bow in her hair. Amber was shocked for a moment and unable to speak. I mean, come on; if you hear screaming, and then you're best friend bowled over you that wasn't supposed to be there, how would you react?

(audience: put reply here)

(Me: Yeah, well, she didn't do that. She did just as I typed. Anyways…)

Celia slowly opened one of her light blue eyes, and her gaze fell upon Amber. (Like she did…okay, bad pun…) She gasped. "Amber?"

"Celia?"

Chris stared at both of them. "Huh?"

The girls both jumped up and hugged each other, laughing with joy. Chris stared as they both started talking super fast, too fast for Chris. After ten seconds of it, Chris started to get a headache and stepped in between them. "Whoa! Amber!" He looked at her. "Who's this?"

Amber slapped her forehead. "Stupid me, I should introduce her!" She walked over to Celia and put her hand on her shoulder, smiling warmly. "This is Celia Sunflower, my childhood friend from Pallet Town. I've known her since forever!" She turned to Celia. "Hey, Celia? Where's Ash?"

Celia put her finger to her chin in the thinking position. "Hmm, I didn't see him at the lab…"

Amber shook her head and sighed. "He probably overslept again…"

Chris raised an eyebrow at them. "Ash? Who's Ash?"

Amber rolled her eyes. "Geez, nosy prat!" Chris glared at her as she explained, "Ash is my _other _friend from Pallet. He's usually oversleeping, so you can expect it'll be a while before you get to meet him personally!"

Celia crossed her arms and frowned. "That's not nice, Amber! You shouldn't say that about your friends! Ash is not _that _bad at oversleeping…" After a glance at Amber's 'are you kidding' expression, she sighed. "Okay, maybe a little…but I'm sure this nice kid isn't a prat!" She pointed at Chris. After a moment, she blinked and frowned. "What's a prat, anyway?"

Amber rolled her eyes. "_He's _a prat." Chris grinned and held out his hand. "Well, I'm Chris! Chris Birch, to be exact."

Celia gasped at his last name. "You mean you're the Johto's Professor's relative?"

Chris' grin got wider. "He's my dad!"

Celia jumped up in delight. "Oh, wow! That's amazing!" She looked at Amber. "Amber, you're so lucky you're traveling with such a famous kid!"

As Chris rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, Amber growled and retorted, glaring at him, "Not really! He's such a stubborn little prat, he gets on my nerves!" She didn't mention anything about last night, though; even a good-natured girl like Celia would taunt her for the rest of her life…

Chris scoffed. "Well, look who's talking! You've get a temper enough for _two _Gyrados!"

Amber held up her fist. "Oh, yeah? Well, I've got more strength then you and those Gyrados _combined!_" She smirked. "Which doesn't add much!"

Chris held up his fist as well, glaring at her. "What was that?"

"You heard me, moron!"

"That's it, you're going – "

Celia stood in between them, holding both of their hands. "Stop it! Stop it, both of you!"

Amber scoffed and crossed her arms, looking away. Chris did the same. After a tense minute or so, Amber spoke up. "Hey, Celia, is Gary out yet?"

Celia sighed. "Yeah, unfortunately…"

Amber sighed and held her head. "Man, today's the worst day of my life…"

Chris looked at the two depressed girls and asked, "Now who's this 'Gary' character? Another one of you're friends?"

Amber suddenly exploded, "_Him? My _friend_? Are you KIDDING?_" She waved her arms in the air, shouting so loud that Pidgey flew out in surprise."_I HATE HIM! I WISH HE'D GO FALL OFF A CLIFF AND DIE! AAARGH!_"

Celia sighed. "He's such a jerk to her! He never really speaks to me, so that's okay…" Her face had disapproval written all over it. "But he still shouldn't be so mean to her and Ash! They tried to be nice, but _no! _He has to be such a…such a…jerk!"

Chris raised an eyebrow, curious and amused at their dislike of Gary. "I'm guessing you guys aren't friends with 'Gary', eh?"

Amber glared at him fiercely, actually making him shiver. "You _guess?_"

Chris chuckled nervously and turned to Celia. "Hey, did you find any backpacks at the edge of the forest?"

Celia put down two backpacks from her back, and Amber immediately gasped and hugged her. "Thank you, Celia! You're the best!"

Celia giggled. "I knew that pack looked familiar, so I kept it and the other one just in case it was yours."

Amber smiled. "Man, it's great to have you here, Celia!"

Celia smiled back and nodded. "It's nice to see you too, Amber! I was afraid I was going to miss you…"

Chris looked off into the forest. "Did you also hear somebody scream?"

Celia looked at him, a bit nervously. "That was me…"

Chris blinked and looked at her. "It was?"

Celia nodded and looked back at the bush she burst out of. "I was just walking through this creepy forest, and suddenly a bunch of bird Pokemon started attacking me!"

Amber looked at her with worry. "Are you hurt?"

Celia shook her head. "No, but thanks for asking!"

Chris crossed his arms and thought. "Was it a flock of Pidgey?"

Amber shook her head. "Nah, Pidgey are too docile to attack out of nowhere like that. It was probably a Spearow."

Celia gulped. "And, while I was running, I saw this huge shadow above me. I didn't dare look up, though, 'cause I was too scared…" She flushed slightly in embarrassment. But Amber didn't notice; she had a determined and angry expression on her face.

After a moment, Celia realized what that look meant. "No, Amber, don't!"

Chris looked at her, confused. "Don't do what?"

But Amber turned towards the bushes Celia ran from. "I'm gonna go teach those flying chickens not to mess with my friends!" She stepped forward, but Celia ran and grabbed her shoulder. "No, Amber, don't! There's too many of them for you to handle! Besides…" She shivered. "What do you think that shadow was?"

Amber shivered too, but she covered it up by shaking her head. "I'm not letting them do this without punishment. I'm gonna go kick their tail feathers!"

Before Celia could stop her, Amber ran into the bushes and disappeared. Celia yelled after her, "Amber! Come back!"

Chris sighed. "It's no use trying to stop her; she's a stubborn, annoying kid, and she won't change her mind once it's made."

Celia looked through the bushes, but she couldn't see her anywhere. She gulped. "I hope she's okay…"

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Did ya like it? It's a bit longer than my LAST one, so I hope ya'll are happy! Good luck in school!

Ja ne!


	8. Even MORE, oh, forget it!

Amber walked through the bushes, ignoring the pain in her ankle, branches whipping her face and tree roots catching her feet and pant legs. She already had a cut on her check, small scratch, but it still stung. She looked up into the trees for a sign of Spearow.

_Those little Rattata with wings! _She thought as she kept walking. She stopped to catch her breath, and she leaned against a tree as she panted. She didn't really know what she'd do when she found them, though. Maybe throw rocks at 'em or something, but all she could think about what was getting back at them, not how.

Suddenly, she heard rustling in the trees. She looked up just in time to see the flash of brown, and she dodged to the side and heard a _crack!_

There, standing (err, flying…SHUT UP!) before her, was a Fearow. It had huge wings that seemed two or three times as big as Amber, sharp talons, and a huge beak. The beak had rammed into the bark of the tree, and it left a slash in the trunk. Amber glared right into its eyes, showing no fear of its weapons. She slowly took out her Pokedex, and it scanned it quickly.

"_Fearow, the Beak Pokemon. Its huge and magnificent wings can keep it aloft in the sky. It can remain flying a whole day without landing. _"

It shrieked, and suddenly she had more things to worry about.

All around her, a flock of Spearow hovered in the air above her, leering and glowering at her. But she stood strong and glared down the leader of the flock. She raised a finger and pointed at it accusingly. "Hey, feather-brain!" She shouted, making the Spearow caw at her angrily. "Why don't you leave my friends alone?"

Fearow let out a huge shriek and tried to Peck her, but she jumped away nimbly and continued to taunt it. "Is that all you've got, fluffy-butt?" She stuck her tongue out at it, and it waved its wing at the flock above them. The Spearow responded instantly by diving at her. She picked up a stick and started whacking at them, but no matter how many she scared away, three more seemed to take its place. She was backed up against a tree with no way out.

_Nice mess you've gotten yourself into, smart one… _She thought as she heard the Fearow flap its huge wings. It lifted itself and floated in front of her, its beak barely three inches away from her nose. She sneered. "Dirty tricksters have no nobility, bird-butt."

Fearow glared her down, and she kept her gaze steadily, barely even blinking. The Spearow were quiet as they watched the stare-down. Fearow narrowed its eyes and raised its head to use Peck. At that close of a range, the attack could be fatal to her. She quickly leapt towards it and grabbed its neck. That startled the bird and made it squawk, and it flew higher trying to shake her off.

As Amber was stupid and stubborn enough to forget to bring Meowth, she could only use what she had with her; her hands, feet, sticks, rocks, and dirt. And in the air, she was even more vulnerable. But that didn't mean she didn't have surprises. She bit into the Fearow's feathers and pulled them out roughly, causing the giant bird Pokemon to cry out in pain. She dug her nails into the carpet of feathers, trying to scratch it badly. Fearow started to fly in odd patterns in attempts to shake her off.

It flew high into the air and dove at very fast speeds; it went into loop-de-loops and did odd and strangely exhilarating spirals; it even did a dive where it pulled up dangerously close to the branches, so close that her feet grazed one of the branches. But Amber just wouldn't let go. The Spearow flew behind her, afraid to attack their leader. They waited for Amber to fall off so they could get her helpless in mid-air.

Amber hugged the neck, her feet dangling down towards the trees that seemed so far away. She had her eyes closed tightly, and was praying, _Please land, you dumb bird! Land on the ground, a tree, anything! _

_Chris and Celia_

After a while of coaxing, Celia had finally persuaded Chris to come with her after Amber. Chris mumbled angrily to himself as Celia called out, "Amber! Amber, where are you?" She looked to Chris. "Chris, help me! We've gotta find her!"

Chris scoffed. "I could care less if we lost her…"

Celia suddenly stopped, and Chris walked right into her. She turned around abruptly and said, "How could you say that? Amber is a very nice girl, a lot nicer then some others I've met, and you act as if you'd could care less if her eyes were pecked out by those Spearow and…and…" Little tears formed in her eyes.

Chris groaned. "Alright, alright! I'll help…"

He cupped his hands and shouted, "Amber! Amber, get over here!"

"Amber! Come out, it's us!"

"Come on, Amber! Celia's starting to give me a headache! Help me!"

"Hey!"

"_Help!_"

Chris and Celia both looked at each other, confused, before they heard a noise above and looked up. Amber was falling through the branches of the trees, followed by a flock of Spearow lead by a determined and enraged looking Fearow. Amber had small scratches all over her arms and face, but otherwise she looked fine.

Chris held out his arms just in time to catch her, but not so ceremoniously. They both ended up on the ground, Amber laying on top of Chris and staring at the flock that flew overhead. They stared down at the three kids, and one nearby squawked at Celia. She 'eeped' and ran beside Chris and Amber. Amber and Chris quickly got up, and Amber threw a rock at the Spearow. "Go away, feather-butts!"

One of the Spearow dived towards Celia, but Amber jumped in front of her, and it hit her in the chest. Celia gasped as she stumbled backwards, but she quickly regained her stance and stuck her tongue out at the Spearow flock. "Ya dumb bird-brains can't get rid of me and my friends _that _easy!" She stuck out her finger and pointed away from them. "Why don't you morons fly off before you regret it?"

The Spearow cawed at her angrily, and the Fearow cried out and dived towards her. Amber braced herself for the burst of pain, but she never felt it.

Meowth jumped out of a tree and used Fury Swipes on the giant attacking bird. It shrieked in pain and flew around back to where it was. A bloody scar made a mark by the Pokemon's eye. Trapinch also came out and shot three black balls at the Fearow. One hit it on the wing, but it swiftly dodged the other two. The Spearow cawed in frustration, but Fearow silenced them. He leered down at the hissing cat Pokemon and put its wing to its mouth as if yawning from boredom. Meowth Hissed and scratched at it, but it flew higher and mocked her.

Amber walked up to Meowth and Trapinch and bent down. "Thanks, buddy!" She smiled as she patted Meowth on the head. She looked at Trapinch. "You too, Trapinch! It's nice to know you guys are with me through and through!"

Trapinch grinned, and Meowth nodded, smiling like a cat would, with a double-u (w) like mouth w 3. They turned to Fearow and growled menacingly. Fearow just cawed in laughter and looked towards the Spearow. It crowed loudly, and the Spearow all smirked mischievously.

The Pokemon weren't fazed, but that's not the same with the trainers. Amber looked uneasily at all of the birds sneering at them. "I don't like the looks of this…"

Chris instinctively put his hand on Inferno's Poke Ball, and Celia hid behind him, shivering in fear. They tensed, waiting for the oncoming attack.

Suddenly, they heard a shriek that didn't come from Fearow. Everybody, trainers and Pokemon included, looked around puzzled. They heard a rustling in the trees, a flash of yellow and brown, and suddenly Fearow cried out in pain. It fell in the air, but quickly regained its height. It looked around for whatever attacked it. A squawk from a nearby Spearow showed its hiding place.

Floating in the air was a beautiful bird; it had a very nice coat of brown and white feathers on its body, sharp and deadly talons that could probably snatch up a Tauros, and a beautiful stream of yellow and red feathers that fell down from its head like hair. Another yellow feather stuck up, shorter than the others, waving gently as it hovered in the air. Its piercing eyes watched Fearow closely, examining its weak points and looking for an opening to attack.

Celia's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the bird. "That's…that's the Pidgeot I saved!"

_Flashback_

_Celia was walking through the forest, holding her Poke Ball in her hand, when she heard a distraught squawk from the bushes nearby. She pushed aside the leaves to find a Pidgeot struggling in a wire net. It was wrapped around its legs and a wing had gotten caught onto a branch. It also had a feather on its head sticking up out of place, wrapping a bit in the netting. It flapped its free wing helplessly as Celia got closer._

_It noticed her and screeched in warning, but Celia grabbed the netting firmly and pulled it off of the branch. The Pidgeot stumbled back and started thrashing around, trying to rid itself of the nuisance._

_Celia coaxed, "Calm down, Pidgeot! If you keep thrashing, you'll never get out of it."_

_The bird froze and stared at her. Its eyes seemed to go through her eyes and into her mind. Celia shivered as it caught her gaze. She couldn't look away, however much she wanted to. Finally, after a very quiet moment, Pidgeot closed its eyes and relaxed. Celia smiled cheerfully as she pulled the net carefully over its wing. She cautiously pulled Pidgeot's legs through the netting until it finally struggled at the last moment and came free, ripping the net slightly with its talons._

_Celia stepped back as the Pidgeot regained its balance. It glanced at her and nodded for some reason, before it flew off into the air._

_Celia waved as it flew away. "Bye, Pidgeot! Good luck!" Then, she heard another rustling in the bushes, and the Spearow attacked her._

_End Flashback_

The Pidgeot look at Celia and nodded. Celia smiled. "I saved it from the net, and now it's helping us with Fearow!"

Amber took out her Pokedex to view the magnificent Pidgeot before her. It beeped and examined Pidgeot.

"_Pidgeot, the Bird Pokemon. It spreads its gorgeous wings widely to intimidate enemies. It races through the skies at Mach-2 speed."  
_

Amber grinned. "All right! Go, Pidgeot!"

Pidgeot zoomed towards Fearow at 'Mach-2' speed. Fearow tried to dodge, but Pidgeot turned in mid-air and used Wing-Attack. It hit Fearow head-on, and it flew backwards until it righted itself in the air. The Spearow flock cawed at the Pidgeot in aggravation, angry at the glorious bird that was hurting their fearless leader.

Fearow cawed angrily and suddenly flapped its great wings twice, causing a sort of mini tornado to form and shoot towards Pidgeot. The unexpected attack knocked Pidgeot backwards, but it quickly flew back and taunted the Fearow. Fearow glared at it and squawked in frustration.

Amber looked at Trapinch. "Trapinch, you should help Pidgeot out!" Trapinch nodded and shot forth several black energy balls, and as Fearow tried to dodge them Pidgeot swiftly used a deadly Double-Edge right at its chest. Fearow fell backwards and hit a tree trunk. Little imaginary Psyduck (like the little dazed thing with birds flying around your head in cartoons) floated around its head before it shook its head quickly and glared at Trapinch. It suddenly leapt up and dived a few inches from the ground towards it.

If it wasn't for Celia's quick thinking and worry for Trapinch, he wouldn't have survived that attack. Celia 'eeped' and quickly threw the Poke Ball in her hand, yelling, "Go, Bulby! Help him!"

Out of the Poke Ball came a Bulbasaur, ready and raring to get into action. It stood in front of Trapinch and shot out a Razor Leaf. This unexpected interference caused Fearow to stop its dive and pull up higher, glaring at the Grass Pokemon. Bulbasaur smirked confidently and stuck his tongue out.

Amber looked at Celia. "You picked out Bulbasaur?"

Celia nodded. "I didn't really like the Charmander because it looked too inactive, and the Squirtle was already gone when I was there. But, I like Bulby; he's really nice to me and listens to everything I say."

Bulbasaur was shooting leaves out from somewhere in its bulb at the flock of Spearow as Trapinch helped with its dark energy balls. Chris sent out Charmander to help them with his Ember, and Rattata teamed up with Meowth and Pidgeot as they started to beat on Fearow.

Everything was going great, and when Fearow cawed at the flock of Spearow for them to retreat, they yelled out in triumph as they flew away. Chris and Amber were about to hug each other, but they both stopped just in time and quickly put their hands behind their backs and looked away. They ended up shaking hands, but Celia suddenly tackled Amber into a hug, smiling like there was no tomorrow. "We did it!" She exclaimed happily.

Amber laughed as she got up off of the ground. "Yeah, you bet we did! We kicked their feathery tails so hard they can't fly straight!"

Chris was looking thoughtfully towards where the flock had flown off. "I hope they won't attack another trainer…"

Amber rolled their eyes. "Aww, come on, Chris! Who'd be stupid enough to anger those birds anymore than they already are?"

_Ash_

As Ash looked around frustrated for a Pidgey, he saw a bird shape hiding in the grass. He smirked, holding a pebble in his hand. "I've got you now…" He threw the rock, and it collided right onto the bird's head.

Ash grinned triumphantly. "I hit it!"

The bird Pokemon looked towards him, and he noticed it looked sharper than a Pidgey did. A huge welt was on the poor Pokemon's head where the rock had hit it. The Spearow noticed Pikachu sitting in a branch overhead.

It smirked with mischief and trouble written in its eyes. _Payback… _It thought as it flew towards the yellow rodent, full speed. _At least I can beat _something _up for the leader. It would make her less angry._

_Amber and the crew, at dusk…_

Celia frowned as Amber winced slightly when she kicked a root that stuck out of the ground. "Are you okay?"

Amber smiled at her. "Yeah, I fine! Don't worry about me!"

Celia frowned and looked at her ankle. "What did you do to it?"

Before she could answer, Chris said, "She's been attacked by Trapinch, fended off a swarm of Beedril, fell off of waterfalls, and still ran through the forest to get revenge for her friend." He grinned at Amber. "I think she can handle a little twisted ankle."

Amber smiled. "Yeah, and there's that snake that chased me!" When Chris looked at her in confusion, she told him of her encounter with the black snake Pokemon. Afterwards, Celia added, "Professor Oak's got it now at his lab. He's probably studying it."

Chris crossed his arms. "You know, I think I've heard of that Pokemon before…"

Amber tilted her head like Meowth does when she's curious. "Really? What do you know of it?"

Chris looked up at the darkening sky as they continued on their way. "It's in the Hoenn region…I can't remember its name, though."

Amber shrugged. "Well, if Meowth and Trapinch say their names, then maybe 'Sevi'-something-or-other is its name."

Chris shrugged. "Well, whatever it is, it's locked up in Oak's lab, being examined as we speak."

They stopped in a clearing where the trees looked as if they were thinning out more, hopefully meaning the end of the forest. Chris took out his notepad and started writing in it, probably about Fearow and Pidgeot. Celia sat neatly on the ground and let Bulby out of his Poke Ball. He looked up at her and smiled. Celia smiled and petted it as Amber looked through her backpack.

Amber let out a small gasp, and Celia and Chris looked at her. She was frozen, staring at a picture in her hand. Celia asked her, still petting Bulby, "What is it, Amber?"

Amber didn't answer as she stared blankly at the photograph. Her lip trembled once, but Chris didn't notice and walked over and looked over her shoulder. Celia stood up and came over as well and studied it.

It was the photo of when Amber went fishing with her dad when she was seven. He was smiling and holding up a Magikarp, while she had a Goldeen. She remembered exactly what Dad had said. _Good job, Amber! When you get old enough, you'll be able to keep what you catch as your own! _She had replied, _Oh, but Daddy, I wanna keep them _nowThe memory echoed in her mind.

Chris pointed at her in the picture. "Is that you and your dad?"

Celia nodded. "That was their fishing trip in the big body of water behind Pallet. That's when she first said she was going to become a Pokemon Trainer…"

_This brings back such memories… _Amber thought as she remembered her whole three years of dreaming to become a Pokemon Trainer, maybe even a Master. She had a big goal that she wanted so badly to reach, but now Amber started to doubt herself. _Am I really ready for this? _She thought. _Can I really hold my own, alone, in the world?_

Celia giggled. "That's the day after Ash had fruit punch poured on his head, and Gary got surrounded by a bunch of Rattata! You told him it was blood, and Ash ran around screaming 'get it off' while Gary waved his arms in the air trying to scare the Rattata away!"

Amber slowly looked up at her, a grin creeping onto her face. "And after Gary ran home yelling his head off and Ash fell down on the ground because of exhaustion, we had a slumber party with scary movies, popcorn, and a pillow fight!"

Chris raised an eyebrow. "You guys seem to have long past together."

Celia nodded, smiling brightly. "We've been friends since we first met!"

"Well, me, her, and Ash, anyways!" Amber added.

Chris nodded slowly, deep in thought. Amber blinked. "Whatcha thinking about?"

Chris snapped out of it and smiled. "Oh, it's nothing! I was just…thinking about how someone could mistake fruit punch for blood!"

Amber didn't believe him, but Celia giggled. "Yeah, sometimes Ash believes too much with what he hears than sees!"

Amber yawned. Chris looked up at the starry night sky. "Geez, it's nighttime already? We've been talking for a while!"

Celia pulled out her very fluffy and comfortable sleeping bag while Amber pulled out hers. Chris sat on the ground and started making a fire. Celia tilted her head. "What's the fire for?"

Chris grinned. "It's for keeping evil ghosts away!" He waved his fingers and moaned like a ghost.

Celia shivered. "Don't do that!" She looked around before she crawled into her sleeping bag. Amber smiled and got in hers as well. She looked at Chris staring at the flames. "Are you gonna go to sleep?"

It was a moment before Chris blinked and looked at her. "Huh? Uh, I'll lay down in a moment. Good night, Amber, Meowth, Trapinch, Celia!"

"Good night, Chris! Good night, Amber and Meowth!" Celia patted Bulby before putting him in his Poke Ball. "Good night, Bulby."

Amber smiled. "Good night, Celia, good night, Chris! Don't let the Weedle bite!"

Meowth yawned and curled up beside her, asleep in seconds. Trapinch had already dug his hole and was snoring away in it. Chris, however, just sat there staring into the flames as he thought. _Amber's so lucky; having her friend here to remember good times with…I miss mom and dad…_

Amber, however, was thinking about the same thing. _I miss mom, and especially dad… I wonder what they're doing right now…_

Celia was already asleep, lightly snoring. She had a hand protectively on Bulby's Poke Ball.

Both Chris and Amber sat there, thinking about their families, how they were doing, and whether their mom and dad were missing them as badly as they missed them. Amber wondered how her dad felt that she was taking the path he always wished he could take, having his dream. _Is he cheering me on, or is he jealous and filled with envy?_

Finally, Amber gave up with trying to fall asleep and sat up, slightly bumping Meowth. Chris looked at her as she stretched and got out of her sleeping bag. She got up and sat beside him in front of the fire, her legs up to her chest and her chin resting on her knees like he was doing.

Chris looked at her. "Have trouble sleeping?"

Amber shrugged, a small smirk on her face. "The day I finally have my sleeping bag back, I can't sleep."

Chris nodded and looked back into the fire. They sat there for a while, about half a foot apart, just staring into the flames. It flickered in the night air, reaching up to the sky as if to lick the stars. It danced in their eyes as they gazed intently into it.

They sat there and stared until the fire was almost only a few embers. Chris stretched his arms out, trying to ease the cramp he that was developing in his shoulder. He was about to get up and try to sleep in his sleeping bag when Amber spoke up, "I shouldn't have accused you so quickly."

Chris looked at her. "What?"

Amber was still staring at the remains of the fire. She repeated, "I shouldn't have accused you so quickly."

Chris blinked, trying to figure out what she was talking about, before realization hit him and he looked down at his feet. He was quiet for a moment, not really sure of what to say, before Amber looked at him. "I'm sorry I blamed you so unfairly."

Chris looked up and smiled slightly. "Well, it was Trapinch and Meowth's fault, so there's really nothing to be sorry about."

Amber shook her head. "No, there is. I shouldn't jump to conclusions so quickly without any proof."

Chris rubbed the back of his neck nervously, feeling slightly guilty. "Well, I was right next to you, so that would…make anybody believe…" He trailed off.

Amber looked down. "Yeah, I guess you're right…"

They sat there awkwardly, both of them looking away from each other. They were pretty quiet, not knowing really what else to say, until Amber felt something furry rub against her arm. She jumped slightly, but relaxed when Meowth climbed up onto her lap. She scratched the feline behind her ears, and a comfortable purring came from the napping Pokemon.

She smiled down at her. "You just can't be alone, can you Meowth?" Meowth just snored on, totally dead to the world. Amber continued to scratch her slowly as she looked back at Chris staring at her. She blinked. "What?"

He quickly looked down, trying to avoid her gaze. "Nothing…"

Amber smirked. "What is it, Chris?"

Chris didn't look at her. "It's nothing! Nothing at all!"

Amber stretched her legs out and crossed her arms. "If so, why were you staring at me? _That _is something."

Chris glanced at her quickly. "I mean it, it's nothing important! Just a thought!"

Amber poked at him teasingly. "So it _is _something! I knew it!"

Chris couldn't help but smile, and he pushed her slightly. "Yeah, well, so what? It's nothing amazing or of great importance or anything."

Amber grinned and shoved him back. "Well, everything friends think in each other's company is of great importance! Like how I think how messy your hair is!" She laughed as she tried to give him a noogie.

Chris pushed her away, and she fell backwards laughing. Chris laughed with her. "Oh yeah? Well, you aren't exactly the most graceful person in the world!"

"You're clumsy yourself!"

"Yeah, sure, that's why _you _twisted your ankle!"

"Hey, that has nothing to do with it!"

"_And _you pushed us into the river by running into me, Meowth, Trapinch, and Inferno! I was lucky to get Inferno into his Poke Ball before his flame went out!"

"Yeah, well, that's because of those dumb Beedril! It's not my fault!"

"_Sure_ it isn't, Amber. Sure it isn't."

They both laughed at each other, but they froze when they heard a small whisper. "Can you guys please keep it down?"

They looked behind them to see Celia sitting up in her sleeping bag and rubbing her eyes. She blinked slowly and looked at them sleepily. "You guys are so loud! Do you ever sleep?"

Amber shrugged. "I can't sleep tonight; it's weird! And he's just strange."

Chris grinned and pushed her. "Hey, I am not!"

Celia covered her mouth and yawned. "Well, please keep it down. This is my first night out here, and I'd really like to be rested up for tomorrow."

They nodded at her, and she lay back down and soon was snoring again.

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**Well, I'm gonna say that people who actually read my stories, THANK YOU! Keep reading if you're bored...if you aren't bored, please DON'T LEAVE ME HERE! cries**


	9. Gary, And Pewter City at last!

Amber yawned as she got up and rubbed her eyes. Meowth mewed at her and licked her arm, and Amber smiled and scratched her ears. Someone tapped her shoulder, making her jump and squeak in surprise. She turned to see Chris smirking while eating a loaf of bread. "Morning!"

Amber sighed. "Good morning."

Chris walked back over to his backpack and took out Inferno and Speedy's Poke Balls and let them out. They stretched and yawned before going over to Meowth to talk. Celia was eating an apple and petting Bulby as he ate some Poke Chow. Amber tilted her head. "Did you bring that chow with you?"

"No, Chris gave it to me!" She looked over at Amber and smiled. "He's a really nice guy!"

Amber glanced at Chris, who was looking away from them as he searched through his backpack for something, and said, "Yeah, he sewed up a hole in my backpack when we first met." She grinned. "He's pretty handy, when he wants to be!"

Chris took something out and looked at her, an innocent look on his face. "Why wouldn't I want to help?"

Amber smirked. "Ah, quit it! We all know you're not an angel!"

Chris pretended to pout. "How could you say that? You're so mean!"

Amber laughed. "Well, isn't that something!"

Celia smiled at Amber. "You guys seem to be really good friends!"

Amber nodded. "Yeah, we're cool. I mean, we've only known each other for about three or four days, but we kicked off good. Sort of…"

"Well, isn't that sweet!"

Amber froze. She knew that voice. Oh, man, she _knew _that voice…

Although she wished she didn't.

There stood (unfortunately) about three yards away, a certain brown-headed boy with a purple shirt. She may like purple, but she definitely _did not_ like the guy in the outfit.

Gary Oak.

Gary was standing there, smirking as if he had found the ultimate blackmail and was shoving it in her face. "So, looks like wimpy here has found another pathetic friend! Lucky, I get to beat _three _losers!"

Amber tensed and clenched her fists. "Gary…"

Gary held his head high. "That's my name, and don't you forget it! I can beat you anytime, anywhere!" He laughed at her, oblivious to her rising anger.

Celia noticed, however, and quickly ran over there and put her hand on Amber's shoulder. "Calm down, Amber, calm down…"

Gary sneered at them. "Are you trembling in fear? That would be expected, being in the presence of a _real _Pokemon trainer!"

Meowth walked in front of Amber and hissed at him. Gary laughed. "That dumb cat? Geez, you're more of a dweeb than I thought you were!"

Trapinch looked out of his hole and glared at Gary, letting out a small growl. Gary glanced at it. "And you've even got yourself a fingernail clipper? Heh, is that the best you could do?"

Amber growled. "Leave my Pokemon out of this, jerk."

Gary laughed at her. "Or what? You're Meowth will purr me to death? Or maybe that thing will give me a haircut?"

Amber put up her fist, but Chris was beside her quickly and grabbed her hand. He whispered, "If he's low enough to bother jerking us around, he's not any better than those thieves we encountered earlier! Don't bother messing with him."

Amber's eye twitched. "But he's messing with _me_…"

Gary scoffed. "Well, it seems you're having enough problems without me. I don't even have to bother!" He laughed and walked past them. Amber suddenly stuck out her foot, and Gary's foot caught it and he fell down. Amber laughed and smirked at him. He quickly jumped up and held up his fist. "Why, you little –"

"That's what you get, you big jerk!"

"Yeah, well at least I don't _eat_ dirt!"

"Oh, yeah? I think you just did!"

"You think you can beat me? Do you really want to test that?"

Amber opened her mouth to reply, but Chris stepped in between them, facing Gary. "Stop fighting you two." He looked at Gary. "We don't want to mess with you, so get off our backs."

Gary glared at him for a moment, before he smirked and straightened up. "Yeah, I shouldn't mess around with trash! I've got bigger things to do, like beat other, more _intelligent_ trainers."

Amber stuck her tongue out at him as he turned around and walked off. When he disappeared through the bushes, Celia let go of Amber's shoulder and sighed. Amber held up his fist at where he disappeared and growled, "That jerk! Who does he think he is? I'll show him…" She turned and swiftly picked up her backpack and shouldered it. She turned to Chris and Celia. "Let's go!"

They looked at each other for a moment, a little uneasy, before they quickly picked up their backpacks and put their Pokemon in their Poke Balls. Meowth quickly jumped onto Amber's shoulder, and Trapinch walked beside her as she started to storm off into the trees. Chris and Celia quickly followed, wondering if she was going to kill Gary the next time they saw him.

_Later, after they (finally) get out of the forest…_

Amber laughed and stretched her arms into the air. "We made it! We finally got out of that dumb forest!" She twirled around, and Celia laughed and grabbed her arm and twirled with her.

Chris raised an eyebrow at them and blinked. "Okay, that's nice…now where are we?"

"You're at the entrance of Pewter City."

Celia and Amber froze, and all three of them blinked.

"Down here."

They leaned over and looked down and saw that they were on a slightly raised hill. A man was sitting cross-legged below them. He had a red hat covering his eyes, making him seem very mysterious. Celia asked him, "Excuse me, mister, but who are you?"

The man looked up at them. "My name's not important."

Amber blinked. "You said we were at Pewter?"

The man nodded. "You have arrived at Pewter, alright; the home of the Pewter Gym."

Amber grinned and punched the air in triumph. "Yes! Finally, we got here!"

"Well, I'm afraid you won't be here for long." The old man rubbed his nose and sniffed. "Very few have beaten the Gym leader."

Amber blinked. "What do you mean? Is he that tough?"

The old man nodded. "His rock-hard determination is unmatched, and he is a very skilled trainer." He sneezed and wiped his nose with his arm.

Celia frowned. "Are you okay?"

The man nodded. "Yeah, it's just a little cold." He sneezed again.

Chris stretched his arms up and yawned. "Well, are we gonna go in the city now?"

Celia shook her head. "He doesn't look so good. He needs help."

The man shook his head. "No, really, I'm fine, I just –" He sneezed, interrupting his sentence.

"Yeah, you're fine." Amber rolled her eyes. "How'd you get sick, anyways?"

The man motioned to his left. "I make a business selling souvenirs to travelers like you."

The three kids looked down. Beside the man were a couple of shelves filled with rocks of different shapes and sizes. On the rocks were little price tags written on crudely with pen.

All three of them stared at the shelves. They said simultaneously, "You sell _rocks?_" The man nodded. "Not just any rocks; Pewter City rocks!"

Amber nodded slowly. "Uh-huh…" She looked at him as he sneezed again. "I think you should go take something for that."

The man shook his head again. "I'm fine, really! You travelers should go on to the Pokemon Center and get your Pokemon ready. The Gym battle isn't going to be easy."

Amber nodded. "Okay, thanks for the info! Bye!"

He nodded at them as they walked off. Celia looked back at him and whispered, "Do you think he should be out here with a cold like that? Where does he sleep?"

Chris looked at her. "He probably has a place to live in, Celia. Don't worry about it!"

Trapinch and Meowth were walking beside Amber on her left. Trapinch grumbled something, and Meowth scowled and probably scolded him. Trapinch rolled his eyes, and Meowth stuck her tongue out at him. Amber looked down at them. "Having a little fight, eh?" Meowth looked at her with a 'and you don't' look on her face. Amber blinked. "Geez, don't bite _my_ head off…"

Meowth 'hmph'ed and looked to her left, away from Amber and Trapinch. Trapinch growled at her, but she just coolly remarked something with a sharp tongue. Trapinch snorted and looked away from her, rolling his eyes.

Chris looked at them both. "I wonder what they're fighting about…"

Amber shrugged. "According to the expressions and tone of voices, Trapinch made some sharp remark, and Meowth scolded him for it. He mocked her, and she basically did this to him." She stuck her tongue out and made a rude noise. Celia smiled and backed away a bit. "Amber! Didn't your mother and father teach you better?"

Amber laughed. "Mom and dad aren't here now, are they? Which means I can do this!" She suddenly jumped and yelled 'boo', which made Celia jump and hide behind Chris. Chris looked at Amber laughing. "Man, and I thought you were a scaredy-cat!"

Amber narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

Chris looked ahead, smirking. "If only you knew the things you say in your sleep…"

Amber's face went pale. "What? In my sleep? What'd I say?" Her voice got steadily louder until she was almost shouting.

Chris' smirk got wider. "Only something about 'a monster's coming to get you'."

Amber went from pale to red. "What? You're making that up!"

Chris shook his head, and his grin got even wider (if that was possible). "Nope! It's all a hundred percent true!"

Celia peeked out from behind Chris. "Didn't you get attacked by a bunch of Raticate once? Or maybe it's a nightmare about those Gyrados that –"

"Celia!" Amber cut her off, glancing at Chris. Celia blinked, but she didn't say anymore. Chris, however, asked, "Gyrados? What happened with you and the Gyrados?"

Amber looked away, still slightly blushing. "Nothing."

Chris looked at her, his grin back to a normal size. "It can't be if you're embarrassed about it."

She crossed her arms. "I'm not embarrassed about it!"

"Then why aren't you looking me in the face?"

"Because…because you have bad breath!"

"How would you know? Do you come closer just to test?"

"No, when you were –"

An odd beeping sound interrupted her. Chris stopped walking and quickly dug into his backpack's pocket on the side. He pulled out his gray device from before and looked at the screen. He read it and put the thing to his ear, saying, "Hello?"

Amber immediately moved a bit closer to listen to the person on the other line. Celia looked at the odd contraption with curiosity. After a moment, Chris smiled. "Hey, Dad! What's up?"

Amber listened in to the other person's voice. She heard a male say, "Hey, Chris! I just wanted to call to see how you were doing."

Chris laughed. "Wow, you're taking time off of your work schedule? I'm honored!"

"Ha ha, very funny, Chris. I've only got a few minutes, anyways. So, have you made any friends?"

Chris nodded, even though he knew that his dad wouldn't be able to see it. "Yeah, say hi!" Chris held up the phone, and Celia and Amber heard his dad say, "Hey, guys!"

Amber smiled, and Celia giggled. Celia said, "We're girls, Prof. Birch!"

Chris put the device back to his ear, and Amber got up to the device to hear the last of, "…have you been doing lately?"

"Dad!" Chris almost whined, and Amber had to bite her tongue to stop from laughing. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm just being me?"

"And what would that be, hmm? A very eye-catching young man who can't seem to –"

"Dad!"

"Alright, son, I should leave you to your 'friends'. Bye!"

"Wait, Dad, don't –"

_Click!_

Chris groaned and put the device in his pocket. He covered his face with his hands. "Now he's gonna tell Mom and she'll start spreading rumors back at home…" He groaned again.

Amber bit her lip as she tried not to laugh. "Well, look on the bright side; at least they can't call you 'shy' back at home!"

Chris sighed. "Is that supposed to be helpful?"

Amber shrugged. "I don't know, but it does give you something to laugh about!"

Chris looked up at her, not laughing at all. "Oh, really? How?"

"Easy!" She grinned. "Just think of how many geeks out there aren't lucky to have two wonderful females by their side, day and…well, not really night…"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah, now _that's _a laugh."

"Why don't I hear you laughing?"

"Ha."

"That's not a laugh! Do a real one."

"Hardy har har."

"Chris, I mean it. Don't make me make you laugh!"

"Ooh, I quiver in fear…"

"Alright, you asked for it!"

"Asked for – WHAAAAAAAA!!!"

Amber had tackled him, and they fell down and rolled down the hill that the path was elevated on. They wrestled and rolled until they came to the bottom of the hill. Amber was on top of Chris and had his wrists in hers and pinned to the ground. Amber smirked. "Gotcha!"

Chris grinned. "Oh, really?"

Amber laughed. "And what do _you _have up your sleeve, weakling?"

Chris suddenly kicked her off of him, and she skidded a few feet away from him. He jumped up, and suddenly she was pinned. She looked up and chuckled nervously. "Well, I guess you aren't weak at all…heheheh…"

Chris smirked and got up. He held out his hand, and she grabbed it and let him pull her up. She brushed herself off, but turned when she heard Celia behind her. Celia was panting since she had run down the hill after them. Celia frowned at her. "Don't scare me like that! You tackled him, but you made _me_ jump out of my skin!"

Amber rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "Sorry, Celia! I thought you've gotten used to that?"

Chris raised his eyebrow. "'Gotten used to it'? How?"

Celia sighed exasperated. "Her and Ash were always wrestling and fighting. It does wear on my nerves, but its how she plays."

Amber grinned. "I'm a rough girl to mess with!"

Celia sighed again. "And you're not afraid to get down and dirty to get your dreams. I know, you've told me millions of times."

Amber chuckled. "But it's true!"

Chris rubbed his wrists. "I can see that…"

Meowth meowed and rubbed against Amber's leg. She looked down at her. "Oh, hey Meowth. What's up?"

Meowth purred and looked over towards Pewter City, and Amber nodded. "Right. We should stop goofing off and go check out that gym that that creepy dude was talking about!"

Celia frowned at her. "He wasn't creepy!"

Amber shivered. "He was to me!"

Meowth mewed again. Amber patted her on the head. "Okay, Ms. Impatient! We're going!" She started to run off towards the city with Meowth a few feet behind her, and Celia shouted, "Wait for us!"

Amber looked back. "I can't slow down for every –"

_Boom!_

Dust come up where Amber was running just a moment ago, and Celia gasped and ran towards where she disappeared. "Amber!" Chris ran after her, and they arrived before the dust cloud. It slowly cleared away, and they looked down into a hole. Amber was at the bottom of it, and she was holding her head and moaning. Celia yelled down at her, "Amber! Amber, are you okay?"

They heard a woman cackling, and Chris and Celia turned to see Jessie standing ten yards away. James was beside her, and the talking Meowth stood in between them. Chris growled. "You again?"

James laughed evilly. "Do you hear that, Jessie? He can't even call us by our proper names!"

Jessie smirked slyly. "Well, let's show him exactly who we are! Prepare for trouble!"

James smiled. "Make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people's within our nation."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above."

Jessie posed (ridiculously, to me) and smirked. "Jessie!"

James pushed back his hair. "James."

Jessie laughed with wickedness. "Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

James grinned with confidence. "Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

The Meowth smiled. "Meowth, that's right!"

Celia gasped. "That Meowth can talk!"

The Meowth crossed his arms and laughed. "Yep, and I'm da top cat around here!"

Amber's Meowth, who was lucky enough to not have fallen into the hole, hissed at him. The upright Meowth glared at her. "Watch it, ya dirt rug!"

Jessie picked a Poke Ball from her pocket and smirked (all evil villains smirk, there's no nice and sweet smiles…). "Meowth, enough fighting with the dirt! Go, Ekans!"

James threw his as well, shouting, "Koffing, get 'em!"

Jessie's Ball opened to reveal the purple snake Pokemon. It hissed, and its rattle shook menacingly like a funeral bell. Celia whimpered at the sight and took a step back. The Ekans faked a lunge at her, and she squealed and ran behind Chris. It laughed at her shivering behind him.

Out of James' Poke Ball a huge floating rock came out of the red beam. It had a skull and crossbones on its front, and smoke emitted from its pore-like spouts all over its body. Chris covered his nose as the horrible odor floated towards them. Down below, they heard Amber yell, "Eww, what's that smell?"

Chris threw Inferno's Poke Ball, yelling, "Go, Inferno!" The lizard Pokemon came out with a battle cry and faced down his opponents.

Celia took out her Poke Ball and let out Bulby, telling him, "Come out and help us, Bulby!" Out came the loyal Bulbasaur, and he stood at his trainer's side, waiting for an order.

James laughed like a lunatic (he always does!). "Koffing, Smokescreen!"

Koffing shot out a green-ish/black-ish smoke from its body, and their vision was blocked. Celia and Chris coughed as they breathed in the toxic smoke. Amber was safe below because she wasn't in the smoke. She looked up and yelled, "Are you guys okay?"

Celia coughed in between her words. "I…can't…breathe…"

Chris squinted against the smoke, but it stung his eyes. "And I…can't see!"

They heard Jessie yell, "Ekans, Dig!"

They heard the snake Pokemon's reply, and they felt the ground shake as it drove itself into the earth. Then, all was silent. The smoke finally began to clear, and Chris and Celia looked around to see a huge hole in the ground beside them. The two Poison Pokemon were nowhere to be seen. Celia looked around nervously. "Where'd they go?"

Chris looked around warily, trying to find anything that could tell them where they were. The Pokemon were looking at the ground, waiting for the snake Pokemon to strike. After a moment, Meowth's ears perked up. She looked down at the hole Amber was in and meowed down at her.

Amber looked up. "What is it, Meowth?"

Then, she felt the ground rumble underneath her. She gulped and looked around for the source. Ekans shot out of the wall, flinging dust everywhere, and landed on her. Amber's scream of terror really hurt Meowth's ears, and Chris and Celia ran over to the hole and yelled down there, "Amber, are you alright?"

As the dust settled back down, it showed the Ekans' mouth open with Amber holding it away. They were both straining to overcome the other. Chris shouted down, "Hold on, we're coming!"

James smirked. "I'd think not!"

Suddenly, Koffing shot out of the hole that Ekans had made. It hovered over Amber, and she looked up at it nervously. Koffing opened its mouth and shot out a big blob of Sludge. It hit Amber in the face, and she grabbed it and shouted, "Ugh, man, that is _nasty!_"

Ekans reared up and hissed threateningly. Team Rocket's Meowth smirked at them. "Looks like ya don't have no tricks up your sleeves to save ya this time!"

Amber's Meowth jumped into the hole, but as soon as she tackled Ekans, Koffing used Smokescreen to block everyone's vision. Celia looked down into the hole filled with poisonous gases and bit her lip. "What's going on down there?"

Below, Amber coughed and felt around the smoke for something familiar. She felt the walls, and bumped into Ekans quite a couple of times, but it was too busy with the Meowth on its head to bother her. Jessie yelled, "Finish it off!"

There was a cry, and something flew out of the hole. When it landed, Jessie growled in frustration at the KO'ed Ekans. "Get up! Get up and fight!"

After a moment, Amber's Meowth jumped out of the hole. She arched her back and hissed at Jessie. She glanced at it. "That good-for-nothing flea bag beat my Ekans!" She kicked their Meowth forward. "You're a Pokemon! Now, fight!"

He glared at Amber's Meowth. "Alright, now its time to see who's da top cat!"

Amber's Meowth scoffed and rolled her eyes, mewing something to herself, and a vein popped up on his head. "What'd ya say? I'm not the flea-bitten mongrel here!" He dashed towards her and went to use Fury Swipes.

She side-stepped and kicked him in the back when he zoomed by. He fell face first and ate dirt. He quickly got up, holding his paw up in a fist. "Grr, you'll pay for that!" She stuck her tongue out, and he growled and tried again.

Meanwhile, Celia had used Bulbasaur's vines to bring Amber up out of the hole. Amber had a bump on her head, but before Celia could say anything about it she took out Trapinch's Poke Ball. "Alright, I've had enough of you two clowns!" She threw the Poke Ball, yelling, "Go, Trapinch!"

Trapinch came out of his Poke Ball and growled at the Koffing that floated in front of him. Koffing shot sludge at him, but he quickly dodged and shot two black balls out of his mouth. The first one Koffing dodged, but the second one hit him full-on and knocked him into a tree. He sat there, his eyes all swirly and dazed. Trapinch turned to look at the two Meowth's fighting. Amber was about to go over and somehow help her Meowth when Chris held her back. She glared at him. "What are you – "

Chris shook his head. "Let her battle with him. It's actually her first battle for a couple of days now." He grinned as he watched her pin him on the ground and gnaw on his ear as he struggled under her. "Besides, she seems to be doing fine on her own!" They winced as Meowth bit into the talking Meowth's tail. Tears formed in Team Rocket's Meowth's eyes. She quickly threw him, and he skidded to a stop in front of Jessie and James. They picked up him, already holding their other Pokemon in their arms, and quickly ran off. Jessie yelled back at them, "We'll get you next time, twerps!"

Amber smirked and waved. "See ya later, losers!" She laughed and turned around, but she tripped on a rock and fell over. Chris sighed and shook his head while Celia rushed over and said concerned, "Are you alright?"

Amber looked up and nodded, spitting grass and dirt out of her mouth. "Yeah, I'm fresh as a daisy…"

"You eat dirt like one, too!" Chris pointed out.

Amber glared at him, but Celia pulled her up and dusted her off. Amber smiled at her. "Why, thank you, Celia! It's nice to see my _best friend _being nice and useful around here!"

Chris rolled his eyes as he started walking down the path. "Come on, we're nearly there, finally."

Amber sighed and shouldered her bag again. "Yeah, we should listen to knucklehead over there. Come on, Meowth!" Meowth hopped onto her shoulder loyally, and Amber started walking. Celia walked beside her and pat Meowth on her head, smiling as the feline purred. "I love her fur! It's so soft and warm and…I wish _I _had one!"

Amber nodded, still glaring into the back of Chris' skull. She believed that if she glared hard enough, two little holes would start to burn away. Celia sighed. "Amber, you really need to stop fighting."

Amber scoffed. "He started it!"

Celia frowned. "He was only joking around!"

Amber crossed her arms. "So? It was still mean."

Celia crossed her arms and sighed again. "You're as stubborn as Ash…"

Amber couldn't help but smirk a little. "Yeah, but at least I don't sleep in late, like he does!"

Celia giggled. "I bet he was even late getting to the Professor's lab!"

Amber sighed, still smiling. "I wouldn't be surprised!"

"Hey, that's not really nice!"

"But you're the one who came up with the idea in the first place!"

"But you didn't have to agree with me! Besides, I was exaggerating a lot."

"Sure, Celia. Sure you were."

"I was!"

"Uh-huh."

"Seriously!"

"Right."

"You're no fun!"

"I get that a lot."

"Hmph!" Celia pouted, and Amber patted her on the back, grinning. "Aww, come on, Celia! Can't _you _take a joke?"

Celia kept pouting. "That's not funny."

"Sure it is!" Amber smirked. "And so is this!" She started to tickle her, and Celia couldn't help but start to laugh uncontrollably. (Hey, she can't help it! I know I can't…looks around warily) Chris listened to them as he walked on ahead, smiling to himself. _She never ceases to amaze me… _

Suddenly, he felt someone poking him in the back. He turned around and saw Celia trying to hold back giggles and Amber looking innocent and pointing at her. He sighed and turned back around, and he heard both of them giggle. (Well, Celia giggled while Amber snickered) He was poked again, but he ignored it. After two more pokes, he stopped and whirled around and said, "Stop!"

Amber was biting her tongue to stop from laughing, and Celia just smiled and said, "Stop what?"

Chris sighed. "You girls are all so _annoying._"

Celia frowned. "No, we aren't!"

Amber elbowed her slightly. "He's just so happy to have us with him, isn't he?"

Chris sighed again and went back to walking. "I need you two like a hole in my head…"

Amber smirked. "Would you like lumps instead?"

"Oh, just shut up."

"I'll think about it…hmmm, no."

"Help…"

Okay, I now realize many readers have finally figured it out; I goofed. Birch isn't really the Prof. from Johto! I fell like an idiot! But, to make it all better, I'm gonna say he's _another _professor in Johto! Now, it may seem weird to have to professor's of the same last name in existence, but hold on! He's the _brother-in-law _of the Birch from Hoenn! NOW it's sorta all better! (claps hands and dances around happily)

And, for one of the reviews, Just because _some _Trapinch don't say their name doesn't mean _all _Trapinch don't! Or, at least, that's _my _excuse, but...SHUT UP!!!

...AND REVIEW!!!


	10. Eyes Watching

As Amber and the crew walked into Pewter City, Amber couldn't help but smile; she was finally going to get her first badge. Nothing was going to stop her!

Except…

"Amber, I'm hungry!" Celia whimpered as she clutched her stomach, which growled for the umpteenth time. Chris' stomach growled, too, but he kept quiet. Amber looked down as hers grumbled as well. She sighed. "Alright, fine…where's the closest restaurant or food place or whatever?"

Celia looked at the map and frowned. "There's a bunch of places nearby…"

Amber looked back at her. "Alright, just pick a random one and we'll go. But, first, I want to get to the Pokemon Center."

"Why's that?" Chris asked her. "Meowth didn't get hurt much after that last run-in with those crooks."

Amber shook her head. "No, it's not that. Well, mostly not that." She looked up at the clouds rolling past. "I forgot to call my folks back in Pallet Town after I – we arrived in Viridian City. They must be worried sick by now."

Chris nodded understandingly, and they headed towards the Pokemon Center not too far away. When they got there, Amber quickly put Meowth and Trapinch with Nurse Joy and ran to the phone and entered her number. After a few seconds, she could hear her mother's voice say, "Hello? Tigereye residence, Mrs. Tigereye speaking!"

Amber smiled and said cheerfully, "Hey, Mom! Sorry I'm late calling."

She heard a gasp, and the visual came up. Her mother was standing in the kitchen, apron on, and making something for dinner. Amber could imagine the smell of her homemade stew, bubbling in the pot with potatoes and carrots and beef…

"Oh, honey, how are you?" Her mother's face was filled with worry. "Are you okay? Why did it take you so long? Did you have any problems on the way? Where are you?"

Amber held up her hands. "Whoa, slow down, Mom! One question at a time!" She smiled at her. "Okay, I went down the grass near Pallet, but when I got to Viridian City I was asked to deliver something to Prof. Oak. I ran back, but on the way I…ran into some Pokemon. I hurried and returned it, and on my way back to Viridian I met someone." She motioned for Chris to walk over, and he reluctantly came into view of the phone.

"Well, hello!" Her mother smiled at Chris as she stirred the pot on the stove. "You must be Amber's new friend!"

Chris nodded, and Amber said, "His name's Chris Birch, Mom. He's the son of another researcher, kind of like…" Her fists clenched slightly as she said the name, "Gary."

"That's wonderful, honey! You seem to be doing well!"

"Yep, and then we went into Viridian Forest and met Celia there!" Amber decided not to tell Mom about the stuff in between, like the criminals, the Spearow, and the sprained ankle. Celia squeezed in between Amber and Chris and waved. "Hello, Mrs. Tigereye! How are you?"

Amber's mother smiled at her. "Oh, I'm fine, dear. How about you?" She laughed. "Your mother's worried sick about you!"

Celia giggled. "Yes, I'm fine!"

Amber's mother smiled, then turned around as Amber's father came into view. Amber grinned and waved quickly. "Hey, Dad! What's up?"

Her father smiled (everyone's full of smiles!) for a moment and said, "Nothing; I've just gotten off of my shift at work." Then he looked at Celia and Chris (mostly Chris) and asked, "Who's the young man beside you? I don't believe that's Ash or anyone else I know."

"He's Chris Birch, dearie," Amber's mother explained. "His father's one of the professors in Johto."

Her father nodded, and Chris said, "He sent me here to learn about Pokemon."

Both her father and mother nodded and asked, "How are your Pokemon?" Amber smiled and laughed at their parental ESP. "Meowth's fine, and I have a new addition in my team, too! They're resting right now."

Her father smiled as he asked her, "Is this what you dreamed it would be like?"

Amber stood there for a moment, thinking about the journey to Viridian, the turn back, the rush back to Viridian, the forest; Chris, Celia, Gary, Meowth, Trapinch, Jessie and James. It had all seemed out of her control. So many things could have gone wrong in all of those situations.

A grin slowly crept onto her face. "Nope! It's even better!"

"It's good to hear that, sweetie!" Her mother beamed at her proudly. Then, they heard a beeping sound, and her mother said, "I'm sorry, honey, but I have to go; me and Celia's mother are having a picnic and this stew's on the menu."

Amber nodded, her mouth watering at the thought of Mom's stew. She still had some stew leftover in her backpack, but it's nothing compared to stew fresh from the pot. Her mother picked up the pot with oven mitts and hurried off.

As the door shut behind her, Amber's father sighed. "I thought she'd never leave!" He grinned at the kids. "With all of her babble of the picnic and you and adventures, I couldn't hear myself think!"

Amber laughed. "I know how you feel. You're lucky you don't come with Mom on shopping trips."

"I hear that!"

"So, how's work? I've heard you're about to be promoted."

Her father half shrugged, half shook his head. "It's the same old same old; still have Nurse Joy with us, the same job, same old crazy daughter who tries to follow me to work everyday!" He covered his mouth and faked a gasp, although they could tell he was smiling. "Oh, wait! She's gone! I finally have some peace!"

"Dad!" Amber scolded him, although she was smiling. "I'm not _that _bad!"

"I beg to differ," he said, his eyes twinkling. He winked at Chris. "You'd better watch out for her, Chris! She can be a wild Ponyta at times, and Celia might not be able to keep her tame."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks, Dad; nice way to assure my friends to stay with me. You're a real help."

"No problem, Amber. Well, I'm afraid I have to go. I've got an errand I have to do for a friend of mine." He waved at them. "Gotta go! Bye!"

"Bye!" Amber waved, and the screen blanked out as the connection was cut. She shook her head and sighed. "Those two…I'm afraid of what they're gonna do next, and I'm not even there!"

Celia giggled. "Aww, Amber, don't worry! They're just trying to act all crazy so you won't see how much they miss you."

Amber rolled her eyes. "No, they're not _acting_, Celia; you _obviously _haven't seen them on poker night."

Celia's eyes widened. "My parents have a poker night, too!"

Amber laughed and winked at her. "Well, just imagine your parents tenfold, and they might be as bad as mine!" She turned around and walked over to the chairs, chuckling to herself. As she walked past the counter, Nurse Joy came over and announced, "Miss Tigereye, your Pokemon are healed!" She handed her a tray with the Poke Balls. Amber thanked her, but as she twirled around to walk out the nurse stopped her and asked, "Your Pokemon…do you know what they are?"

Amber stared at her for a moment. "Meowth's as normal as they come, and –" She slapped her forehead. "Oh, you mean Trapinch!" She cast an uneasy glance back at Chris and Celia. "Well, you see…"

As she explained the events of the past days to Nurse Joy, she watched her expressions change from curious to shock to puzzlement to awe. When she finished, the nurse exclaimed, "Oh my! You've had quite the number of adventures, haven't you?"

Amber chuckled nervously. "Tell me about it…"

Nurse Joy smiled and said, "You know, you remind me of a fellow that came in before!" Her eyes seemed to focus on something far away, as if she was watching it happen again behind them. Amber caught herself about to turn and look around. "He had the strangest outfit on and carried some even stranger Pokemon with him. He didn't seem to belong here, and he said he was lost."

Amber smirked. "Well, I'm not lost! I _never_ get –" With a glance at the looks on Chris and Celia's faces, Amber quickly recovered, "I mean, I bet he was a complete weirdo! I wonder what type of Pokemon he had."

Celia sighed as Chris shook his head, but before Amber could give them a tongue-lashing, Joy asked, "Can you please make some room for the other trainers?" The trio quickly moved aside so a few trainers could walk up to the desk. Amber turned towards the front door and, with another growling of her stomach, grinned and shouted, "Let's get some _food_!" She ran out of the Pokemon Center, and Celia and Chris ran after her shouting, "Wait for us, Amber!" Amber just laughed as she sprinted down the street towards the smell of something somewhat familiar…

Stew!

_Meanwhile, watching them…_

As the girl's face appeared on the screen, the man in the chair eyed her closely. He turned to another screen where a shrouded figure stood watching. "Is this the one?"

"Yes," the figure answered shortly, "She has possession of one of our subjects and has already turned a project to one of the professors. If she finds out about the plan, she could ruin everything."

The man turned his seat again to watch the young girl run into one of the restaurants on the street, followed by two other kids. He sneered as his mind began to form nasty plots to get rid of those pests. "Don't worry; I'm sure a little girl won't be any trouble for you, right?"

The figure chuckled darkly and said in his rough voice, "No, of course not, boss. I can handle it."

367573546275374573274235473453673475354275483684242418238872454742372524783642572828462454846324625788342863

**Interesting…what will happen next? Well, I haven't written it yet, so you shouldn't start asking me…-.- yeah, uhh…bye!**

**Ja ne!**


	11. Mist Islands

Amber chowed down on the appetizers as they waited for their actual meal to arrive. Chris and Celia both sighed and shook their heads at her unruly behavior, but she paid no heed to them as she slurped down her soda. She finished her portion and looked at the two with a content look on her face. "So after this, ya wanna hit the Gym or something?"

Chris leaned back in his chair and relaxed. "Nah, I think we should unwind before we go to get that badge! And, have you even trained your Pokemon?"

Amber looked down at the table and mumbled, "Well, no, not really…"

Celia smiled and suggested, "It would be smart to train before you try your first Gym battle, Amber!"

Amber took another gulp of her soda and agreed, "Yeah, I guess that you're right…"

Chris smirked and kidded, "I want a rematch; we never finished our battle from before. How about two Pokemon each?"

Amber grinned and teased, "I seem to remember I was winning last time, Chris!"

Chris wagged his finger in her face. "Nah-ah, that doesn't count! Trapinch interrupted the battle before we finished!"

Amber rolled her eyes, although she was grinning, and stuck out her hand. "Alright, so after lunch we fight?"

Chris grabbed her hand firmly and shook it. "Sure! Be prepared to lose!"

"May the best girl win!"

Before they could really talk anymore, the waitress came over with their orders, and they began to eat their meals. Amber had, of course, a bowl of stew, Celia had a salad, and Chris had some chicken. Amber frowned at Celia's plate and said, "What, are ya on a diet or something? You're skinny enough!"

Celia shook her head. "No, I just like healthy food!"

Amber made a face. "Well, if that's healthy, I'd rather eat junk food!"

Celia pouted and whined, "But you'd eat junk food _anyways!_"

Amber winked at stuck her tongue out. "Exactly!"

They finally finished and paid the amount, and Celia glanced outside and said, "I don't think the battle should be held on the street; someone could get hurt…"

Amber rolled her eyes, but she said, "Okay, okay, how about…just a little outta town?" With a nod from her friend, they walked until they were next to the sign that said, 'Welcome to Pewter City' at the entrance of the city. Celia backed up a bit, and Chris and Amber both took out their Poke Balls. Amber held up hers, smirking at him. "Don't cry when you lose!"

The brown-haired boy grinned back. "Same to you!"

They both threw their Poke Balls, calling out, "Go Speedy!" and "Go Trapinch!" The two Pokemon stood before their respective Trainers, and Amber chuckled, "Let's get started!"

Chris shouted quickly, "Speedy, use Tackle!" The little Rat Pokemon rushed towards Trapinch, unwavering under the jaw Pokemon's gaze. Amber countered with, "Trapinch, dodge and use…Bite!" Amber realized she didn't know what move he had used against Team Rocket, so she called out a backup one. She hoped he had the move.

He obviously did, since he responded by opening his jaws and charging forward like a monster truck. Chris answered the oncoming attack by instructing Speedy, "Use Growl!" Speedy stopped in mid-attack and Growled threateningly. Trapinch was surprised at the sudden show of determination, and he faltered for a moment. The time window in between was small, but it was enough.

"Quick, use Sand-Attack!"

Amber gasped as Trapinch was blinded by the sand flung into his face. Trapinch swung his head wildly, trying to clear his vision. Chris then ordered Speedy, "Now, Tackle it!"

Trapinch was unable to see the attack coming, and so was knocked over onto his side. Amber bit her lip and yelled, "Get up, Trapinch!" The jaw Pokemon, however, had lots of trouble of moving because of his huge head, and so Speedy was able to Tackle it again, causing it to spin across the ground until it came to a halt. Trapinch was dizzy, and it let out a wavy snarl. Amber looked around trying to figure out a way to beat it. Then, she glanced at the Rat Pokemon. The twitching nose, the rotating ears, the curling tail…

_That's it!_ Amber hastily yelled, "Trapinch, roar out as loud as you can!"

Trapinch opened his maw and inhaled deeply, before it bellowed the most screeching, harsh roar as anything she had ever heard. The three kids even had to cover their ears, but Speedy got it even worse. His sensitive ears got the full blast, and he had squeaked in pain and tried to cover his ears. Trapinch, in the meantime, seemed to get the strength to lift his head and get up onto his feet. Amber was still wincing from the howl as she yelled, "Now, use…use…Dark Shot!"

Chris was confused. "Dark _what?_"

Trapinch, though, understood what she was trying to get him to do, and so he let loose a barrage of Shadow Balls that zoomed towards Speedy. Chris shouted desperately, "Dodge 'em, Speedy!"

Speedy leapt over two, but one smashed into him, and he slammed into a tree trunk hard. A branch cracked overhead, and it fell down and slammed in between the Rat Pokemon's eyes, knocking him out.

Amber grinned and punched the air triumphantly. She turned to Trapinch and ran over to hug him. Trapinch just stood there as she praised him, "Good job, Trapinch! Ya did it!" The jaw Pokemon just replied with a 'Trap' as if to say, "No prob."

Chris smirked as he held up his other Poke Ball. "We're not finished yet!" Amber nodded and returned Trapinch to his Ball with a 'thanks', and looking at Meowth. "Alright, Meowth, you're up!"

The Scratch Cat Pokemon nodded and ran onto the field as Chris threw his Ball, shouting, "Go, Inferno!" The Charmander came out with a flash of red light, and he stomped his foot once and growled, showing he was ready. Meowth smirked and said something to him, as if teasing him, and Inferno got angry and shot a small Ember at her. She just ducked, and Chris scolded him, "Control your temper, Inferno! Don't let her get to you!" The Fire type just grumbled darkly.

Amber laughed and yelled, "Alright Meowth, let's win another battle!" Meowth nodded and unsheathed her claws with a smirk. Chris told Inferno, "Use Scratch!"

"Oh, yeah? Show them how it's _really_ done, Meowth!"

The two charged each other, and their claws both did some damage to the other. They both turned simultaneously and attacked again and again, continuously trying to catch the other off guard. Suddenly Chris yelled, "Ember!"

Inferno responded with a ball of fire from his mouth, and Meowth stumbled to avoid it and fell over. Chris quickly added, "Now Scratch again! Give it your all!"

"Get up Meowth!"

Charmander swung three times, but only two attacks hit, for Meowth jumped up above his last Scratch. Charmander looked up, but Meowth pile-drived her foot into his face, and he fell over onto his back holding his face. Amber grinned at the sudden turn-of-battle and commanded, "Now, use Fury Swipes!"

Meowth slashed super fast, and Inferno wasn't quick enough to dodge the sharp claws. He finally rolled out of the way, but when he stood up he was panting heavily. Chris bit his lip and tried to think on his feet. "Use Ember, now!"

Inferno opened his mouth to fire, but Meowth quickly slammed into him, which knocked him off balance. Still, as she collided with him, the Ember came out of his mouth and shot into the sky. It hit a branch above, and it immediately lit up as the flames started to travel towards the trunk. Suddenly, the branch cracked, and it plummeted down and hit Meowth in the back of the head.

Meowth fell over from the impact, her eyes swirling dizzily. Amber ran over to her and picked her up. "Are you alright?"

Meowth just continued to be dazed, and Chris shrugged. "Well, that's two victories via falling branches. We should try other areas for battling, and, unless they get hit by rocks, it should be fairer."

Amber slightly pouted and looked at Celia. "Well, _you're_ the one who said to get away from the city."

Celia held up her hands in defense. "I was just saying we shouldn't –"

"I know, I know," Amber sighed. "Well, let's take them to the Pokemon Center and rest."

_Afterwards, at the PC…_

Amber was surprised when she heard her name called. Nurse Joy held a phone near her computer and was yelling, "Ms. Amber Tigereye! Telephone!"

She walked over to the desk and took the phone with confusion, but it was all swept away for a moment as she heard someone's voice on the other end say, "Amber, is that you?"

"Professor Oak?" She frowned, wondering what he needed to call her so urgently for. "What's up?"

"Listen, Amber, I need you to do a favor for me." The screen flickered to life as she saw him looking at her seriously. He had a Poke Ball beside him with a black dot on the top, marking it for something. It was in a container, as if he expected whatever was in it to burst out or something.

"Yeah?"

"I just received word that a strange facility was found not too far from Pallet Town. It was partially destroyed, and they found a bunch of caged Pokemon, except…" He glanced at the Poke Ball with unease. "They aren't normal Pokemon. They were altered somehow, but in what way we can't tell. They've sent an investigation, and I believe that some Pokemon also escaped." He looked at her questioningly. "Have you…met any?"

"Uhh…" Her thoughts wandered to Trapinch. "Yeah, actually. I caught it, and it acted pretty strange."

"I was afraid so." He picked up the Poke Ball in its glass container. "I was wondering if you could hold onto something for me. Now, I wouldn't give this to you if I didn't think you were capable of handling it, but… Do you want to?"

Amber thought about it for a moment. "Uhh, well…what is it?"

"It's that Snake Pokemon you found earlier. Or, rather, it found you." He chuckled a little. "I contacted some of the other professors, and one informed me it is a species called 'Seviper'. It is a Poison-Type Pokemon that is native to the Hoenn Region."

Amber smiled. "Of course! I can handle a snake with huge fangs and a…grudge against me…" She laughed nervously. "No prob!"

Oak smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Amber. You have no idea how much you're helping." He put the Poke Ball onto a device and pressed a button. "It's coming to you now."

Amber waited for a moment, and the red-and-white ball appeared on the pad. She picked it up and put it in her backpack. She looked back up and smiled. "You're welcome, Prof! I owe you for finding Meowth for me, anyways!"

Said Pokemon jumped onto the counter and mewed at the screen. Professor Oak smiled at the Scratch Cat Pokemon and said, "How is she doing? She looks extremely healthy!"

Meowth meowed and pawed the screen, making him laugh. "He sure seems alright. She must really like you!"

Amber picked up Meowth and hugged her. "We're best friends!" The cat licked her, and they both smiled and looked back at the Professor. "See ya later, Professor!"

"Bye, Amber! And be careful!" The screen went blank as he hung up. Amber put the phone back and looked at Nurse Joy. "So, are all of the Pokemon rested?"

"Yep!" The nurse smiled. "They're as fit as a fiddle!" At the confused look on the kid's face, she laughed and went back to talking to another trainer. Amber shook her head and walked over to Chris and Celia, who were both sitting on chairs and waiting for her. As she sat beside Chris, Celia asked, "What was that about? I saw you put a Poke Ball in your backpack."

"Professor Oak asked me to hold a Pokemon for him." She took out the ball and showed it to her. "Apparently, it's a Pokemon that escaped some place, and Trapinch was there too. I wonder if they knew each other…"

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Really? What Pokemon?"

"It's something I…met a while ago." She shivered as she remembered the epic run home. "It's a Snake Pokemon from the Hoenn region, and it chased me all the way back home and to the Lab." She chuckled. "That's why you and Ash saw me before we had lunch together."

Celia tilted her head and looked at her in surprise, but it was Chris who voiced her thoughts. "You were chased by it? And now you're _watching_ it?"

Amber blinked. "Well, _yeah_, Professor Oak did ask me to, so…"

Chris sighed and argued, "But, if it didn't like you _then_, what makes you think it'll like you _now?_"

"I don't _want_ it to like me!" Amber answered a little heatedly. "I'm just going to watch it until Oak wants it back! Besides, what could possibly happen?" She looked at her backpack, thinking of Trapinch. She smiled. "I've dealt with it before."

Before Chris could argue any further, Celia looked behind Amber with a frown and asked, "Who's that?"

She turned around to see someone sneaking out the back door. They had some kind of red outfit on, but they couldn't see anything else of them before they disappeared out the door. Her curiosity peaking, Amber stood up and crept over and peeked outside. She saw someone walk into the bushes, and she was about to step out when someone grabbed her shoulder. She turned to see Chris looking at her sternly. "What are you doing? Something bad could happen!"

Amber shrugged him off and sauntered off, thinking, _like what?_ She carefully snuck over to where the person disappeared into the bushes. Meowth shivered on her shoulder and clung on quietly, and Amber petted her a little before they went through the shrub. Chris and Celia quickly followed her, not wanting to lose her or have something bad happen.

They all hid in a bush and glanced out to see a man standing over a blue glowing circle on the ground. He had some kind of device in his hand, and he pressed something on it while muttering something like '…boss can't find easier way…' The trio watched him as little sparkles of light rose from the ground and circled around him. Blue light enveloped him, and a flash blinded them. When they could finally see in the darkness, the man was gone.

Amber crept out of the bushes, and Chris grabbed her shoulder reassuringly. Celia hid behind them both as they stared at the spot on the ground where the man had been. In his place was a device that looked like Chris' portable phone, except larger and with a bigger screen on it. Amber knelt down and slowly reached out her hand. She gradually lowered it and laid it on the device. As soon as her fingers touched it, however, blue light flashed from it and blinded them again.

As their eyes adjusted again, they saw the same circle surrounding them. They looked in awe as it shimmered and the dust began to surround them. Celia reached out and cupped some in her hand, smiling as it tingled and glittered like jewels. Amber looked around them, wondering what it was. Chris started to get an uneasy feeling and began, "I think we should go – "

Then, they all felt lightheaded, as if they were floating. The world began to spin, and a bright light enveloped their vision. They all blacked out at the same time.

_Later, when they wake up…_

Amber awoke to a rough tongue licking her cheek and a desperate mewing. She had a slight headache, as if she had run into a brick wall headfirst. Her eyes fluttered open to see a pair of humor-filled eyes staring back at her. At first, she thought it was Meowth teasing her, but when she felt the familiar furball beside her head move slightly and hiss at something, she realized it was something else.

She sat up suddenly, causing Meowth to move in front of her and the creature in front of her to yelp and jump back a couple feet. She grabbed Meowth and stared at it as the Scratch Cat Pokemon hissed fiercely at it. It was a dog-like Pokemon with blue green on its top, until it got to its head where it stopped around the eyes. The belly and lower part of the legs were creamy white, with little paws that kept kneading the ground. Its stubby tail wagged behind it as it barked at her and crouched down playfully.

She blinked and stared at it, wondering what was going on. _Why is it daytime? Where did the forest go? Why is the ground softer?_

She looked down to see she was on sand, and with a glance behind her she saw a long stretch until it came to a sudden drop, probably a cliff or something. She stood up with Meowth in her arms and examined her surroundings. At first, she was in a panic, but then she saw two people slumped over a few yards away. She ran over and kneeled down, saying, "Chris! Chris, wake up! Celia!" She shook Chris, and was relieved to hear an angry grunt as he rolled over and stretched out, yawning loudly. His arm barely brushed against Celia's hand, and she flinched in her sleep and curled up tighter, looking just like Meowth.

"Chris! Chris, wake up! _Chris!_"

Chris sat up quickly, startling Amber. He blinked and stared at her, looking lost for a moment. Then, upon realizing the situation, slowly asked, "…Amber? Where…are we?"

Amber looked at the cliff, biting her lip. "I don't know…I just woke up, after that little…" She stopped and looked at the little dog Pokemon. It was still looking at her expectantly, wanting to play. Meowth glared at it, eyes narrowed in suspicion. It ignored her glare, however, and barked in good-humored at her. She hissed at it again, but he just stepped a little forward and sniffed them.

Chris blinked, staring at the Pokemon. After a moment, he stuttered, "W-w-whoa! What _is_ that?"

Amber shrugged and took out her Pokedex. She aimed it at the Dog Pokemon, but the red machine didn't respond. She tilted her head and pressed a button, but it replied, "_Unknown Pokemon, no information on species._"

She sighed in aggravation and put it back in her pocket. "Well, _whatever_ it is, it doesn't seem harmful." She slowly reached a hand out and petted it. Meowth meowed disapprovingly at the content puppy, eyes burning angrily.

They both turned as they heard a small yawn to see Celia sitting and rubbing her eyes tiredly. She mumbled, "What'd I miss?"

"I don't know exactly…" Amber looked around. "I think…that thing was a teleporting pad or something."

At first, Celia didn't seem to understand, but then it dawned on her and she looked around in fear. She whispered, "Where are we?"

Amber took out her map, but no matter where she looked she didn't seem to find the right place. "Seafoam Islands? No, there's two…Cinnabar Island? No, there's a volcano…" She looked closer, but there were no other possible candidates. Finally, she looked up. "We're on some uncharted island."

Celia gulped and looked around, jumping slightly when she saw the dog. It barked and wagged its tail, and after a while she reached out slowly and started to pet it. As it licked her hand happily, she smiled and said, "At least the Pokemon here are nice!"

"Uhh, really?"

Amber looked at Chris. "Wha?"

Chris pointed at something across from them, towards a forest. "Does _that _look friendly?"

Amber followed his finger, and saw what he meant. Something stood over there; it had a pure white coat, except for the purple mask around its eyes and a purple tip on its tail. It looked like a wolf or some kind of odd, sophisticated version of the Dog Pokemon Celia had beside her. It was about half the size of Amber.

That's pretty big for a Pokemon.

It stared at them with bright green eyes. It watched them, as if speculating if they were safe or not. All of them, Trainer and Pokemon alike, shivered under its gaze. Amber whispered to Chris, "Maybe it's someone's Pokemon, and it can lead us to a Pokemon Center or something."

Chris looked at her and asked, "Do you want to take that chance?"

The white Pokemon then began to walk towards them, obviously considering them harmless. It stepped elegantly, each paw put down as if it belonged there, while its tail waved in the wind behind it. The sun's light seemed to make its fur glow, like snow on a mountaintop. It still stared, never letting its eyes off of Amber…

It stood before them, still watching Amber closely. She gulped and held up her hand a little. "Hi…I'm…Amber."

Chris looked at her as if she was crazy, but the Pokemon just stood there. He looked as if he wanted to tell them something. He was still, not moving as the wind ruffled his fur. The small Dog Pokemon beside Celia crouched down and barked, fake courage ringing through his defiance. The wolf tilted its head at it and whined, as if it was questioning it.

Amber cleared her throat, catching the wolf's attention, and she asked, "What do you want?" She kept staring into its eyes, denying it any sign of fear. Maybe if she stood up bravely, it would back down and go away.

But it still didn't move. Instead, it barked at her and wagged its tail slightly. She frowned and mumbled, "I _still_ wish I could understand Pokemon…"

The wolf barked again, as if laughing at her, and seemed to give her a wolfy smile. It turned around and looked back at her, as if expecting her to follow it. The Dog Pokemon barked again and ran over to it, and the wolf nodded at it and began to walk. The Dog Pokemon looked at them and woofed once encouragingly before trotting after it.

Amber looked at Chris, and he nodded and stood up. The girls both got up and they began to walk after the wolf. They entered the forest and trudged through the maze of green. They saw a few glimpses of Pokemon, but they couldn't see them clearly. Even if they _could_, they wouldn't know what they were. The wolf and dog just kept walking, every once and a while looking back and barking at them to make sure they were following.

Finally, they arrived at a house in the woods. Surprisingly, it looked a bit like a lab, and it made them wonder who would be doing research out here. The white Pokemon walked briskly to the door and pawed it, whining slightly. After a moment someone answered the door, but stopped to look at the group and the strange visiting Pokemon.

It was a boy, about Amber's height, with blonde hair gelled down to perfection. He had soft blue eyes filled with surprise. He had on a blue vest over a white shirt and a pair of jeans. Beside him was another one of the little Dog Pokemon. It barked at the Wolf Pokemon and stood in front of the boy protectively, but the boy bended down and petted it reassuringly. It whined as it stared at them, and the boy looked up and said, "Who are you?"

Amber looked at Chris with unease, and he nodded and stepped forward and introduced them all. "I'm Chris, and this is Amber, Celia," he heard a disapproving meow behind him and smiled, "And Meowth."

The boy blinked and nodded. He pointed to himself and smiled. "I'm Samuel, but you can call me Sam." He tilted his head, like a curious dog, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Chris explained, "We saw this mysterious man in a red outfit step onto a blue circle thingy that lit up and everything, and then he disappeared, and we stepped on the circle and teleported here."

The boy frowned and said, "Red outfit?" As Chris nodded, he muttered something and stepped towards them. "You know, this is one of the Mist Islands. It's a group of islands far off of the coast of Kanto. I think you might have stumbled upon something." He sighed. "Unfortunately, there are no ferries back to Kanto; too long of a ride to anywhere from here. That's why Team Magma have millions of teleportation pads everywhere."

Everyone said simultaneously, "Team _what?_" Meowth even had a confused look on her face.

Sam frowned and mumbled, "Right…" He cleared his throat and said, "These group of people have been going around and trying to increase the land mass of the planet. They believe there should be more land than there is now." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Unfortunately, they don't do it in any legal way. They always steal and destroy things trying to get their message across. Just like Team Aqua."

"Team _who?_"

He rolled his eyes. "They're just like Team Magma, except they want to expand the oceans. Again, not very nicely."

The group looked at each other nervously. Celia asked Sam, "How do you know all of this?"

He sighed again and looked down. "Because my dad is in Team Magma."

The group all looked at him in surprise. Celia frowned and said, "But, _you_ don't look mean or anything."

"Yeah, well," Sam chuckled uneasily, "That's because _I'm_ not in it. Just because my dad's in it doesn't mean _I_ am." He crossed his arms and muttered, "I don't even approve of it…"

Amber looked at the Wolf Pokemon and was surprised to see it staring straight at her. She chuckled nervously and asked Sam, "Uhh, can you tell me what the native Pokemon here are?"

Sam blinked, but followed her eyes to the wolf with its intelligent green eyes. He murmured, "Oh…" He cleared his throat and reached down for a bag that sat beside the door. He rummaged in there for a while, before he took something out. It looked almost like Amber's Pokedex, but it seemed more advanced. It whirred open to his touched, and walked over and let them look at it.

It spoke with a feminine computer voice, "_Awhite, the Wolf Pokemon. It is a very wise, gentle creature who guides lost trainers to safer places. It is very protective of its territory whenever a new Pokemon enters the boundaries, however, and will fiercely defend it._

"_Welf – a blue and creamy-white Dog Pokemon. It is very playful and likes to run up to people and lick them. It is friendly to everyone and doesn't understand fighting. It takes a lot of training and care to make it understand how to battle seriously. It usually sticks its tongue out and teases others instead of attack._

"_Coctoo – A little blue Bird Pokemon that is very shy, but curious. It will sometimes approach people if it finds something interesting. It is known to take things that are shiny and stash them in its nest. It lives in huge flocks and rarely fights back._"

He closed the device and said, "That's all that I've met before. I've even caught a Coctoo." He took a Poke Ball from his belt and threw it. A red light shot out, and there stood, what they presumed, a Coctoo. It was a small blue bird (readers, imagine a blue Torchic or Mukkuru from the new game) with a single feather on its head. It had a small feathery tail, tiny wings, and a yellow beak. It hooted, "Too!"

Sam bent down and patted him on the head before returning him to his Poke Ball. He looked up and said, "So, Amber, was it?" She nodded. He smiled. "Well, I guess I should help you find a way to get off of the Mist Islands, huh?" He thought for a moment, then mumbled, "The only way off, though, is on Ashburst…"

"Well, then, we'll go there!" Amber smiled and looked his 'Pokedex'. "Is there a map on that Poke-watch-a-ma-doohickey?"

Sam laughed and said, "Sure! Let me pull it up." He pushed a lot of buttons before he grinned and handed it to her. She looked at the map, wondering eagerly what awaited them.

**I know, I shouldn't have ended it like this, but I needed to so I could put a separate chapter filled with island information. Please hold on as I finish typing it up and upload it…**


	12. Info Page

Mist Islands:

(Left to right) Treegrove, Lavarock, Frostmount, Fogport, Ashburst

Treegrove

**Description: **the first, smallest island

**Pokemon: **Welf (Very Common), Ahrite (One), Frexis (Common), Floreon (One), Coctoo (Rare)

**Owned by:** Team Magma

Lavarock

**Description:** second smallest island

**Pokemon: **Welf (Very Common), Frexis (Very Common), Mystac (Rare), Seprant (Rare), Stareon (One)

**Owned by:** Team Magma

Frostmount

**Description: **Third smallest island

**Pokemon: **Welf (Rare), Frexis (Common), Mystac (Common), Waizer (Rare), Seprant (Rare), Prismeon (One), Auroreon (Rare)

**Owned by: **Team Aqua

Fogport

**Description:** Second biggest island

**Pokemon: **Waizer (Common), Frexis (Rare), Frehoax (Very Rare), Mystac (Rare), Vyssis (Rare) Legeon (One), Auroreon (Few)

**Owned by:** Team Aqua

Ashburst

**Description: **Biggest Island

**Pokemon: **Waizer (Common), Toraizer (Rare), Coctoo (Common), Mystac (Rare), Vyssis (Rare), Seprant (Rare), Welf (Rare), Sacreon (One)

**Owned by:** Still pending

**Important places on Mist Islands:**

Samuel's House (West Treegrove)

Team Magma Base 1 (East Treegrove)

Team Magma Base 2 (North Lavarock)

Team Magma Secret Base (Somewhere on Southeast Ashburst)

Team Aqua Base 1 (West Frostmount)

Team Aqua Base 2 (East Fogport)

Team Aqua Secret Base (Approximant position: Southwestern Ashburst)

**New Island Pokemon**

Sacreon – The evolution of Eevee once it has been in contact with the Rainbow Feather. A strange combination of Fire and Flying, its feathers on its head and tail sparkle like sunlight going through prisms. It is believed to be found on the newly discovered island somewhere in the middle of nowhere, although no real evidence has been presented other than 'pictures' of the island.

Legeon – The result of a Silver Wing brushed against an Eevee. Its fur comes up almost like eyebrows from the creature's eyes, and two black tufts of fur jut out from its whip-like tail. Some believe they have seen its graceful dances in the full moon's light, but the sources are only legends and folklore.

Auroreon – Whenever an Eevee comes into contact with a Moon Stone, it turns into this beautiful, wolf-like creature. Its coat of fur is completely white, except for the crescent moons on its head which are a light blue. They glow whenever it uses its powers. This majestic creature is only found on the new island somewhere in the ocean.

Stareon – Like Umbreon and Auroreon, Stareon has a symbol (a circle) on its forehead. With the power of the sun's rays, it can shoot rays of sunlight and melt a steel wall. Because of evolving from a Sun Stone, it relies on the sun to keep it energized. Its habitat lies on the island discovered off of the coast of Kanto.

Floreon – With the Leaf Stone, an Eevee turns into this mix of mammal and pretty garden flower. It uses photosynthesis for food, and is usually seen bathing in the sunlight. Unfortunately, because it is a shy creature, the only reported sightings have been on an island somewhere in the ocean off the coast of Kanto.

Prismeon – If an Eevee has a Nevermeltice, it turns into this Pokemon. The Eevee's fur on its neck turned into ice crystals that can grow longer and cover its face as a shield. Its tail is soft if you rub down it, but if you try to rub towards its body the hair are sharp and can easily cut you. With its fur a mix of light blue and white, elegant paws, and sharp eyes, it is usually thought of as a harsh Pokemon. But, it is actually really loving and caring with its family and friends. Strangers, however, must beware if they get on its bad side.

Frexis – A fox/ferret like Pokemon found on the mystical island discovered recently. It is a Normal type Pokemon that lives in tall grassy meadows and eats nuts and berries found on the ground. It is extremely afraid of others and is hard to capture. It evolves into Frehoax.

Frehoax – The evolution of Frexis, this Pokemon looks just like its original evolution except it has a mane of fur on its neck, fur right above its paws, and longer feather-like fur on its forehead. Also, it looks noticeably more mature than Frexis. It only exists where there are Frexis.

Awhite – The Wolf Pokemon who's fur is like soft snow. It is white except for the purple 'mask' around its eyes and the purple fur at the end of its tail. It is a very wise, gentle creature who guides lost trainers to safer places. It is very protective of its territory whenever a new Pokemon enters the boundaries, however, and will fiercely defend it. It doesn't like to move from its home, and it's usually quite wistful when it does, howling at the moon in sadness.

Coalite – The Wolf Pokemon who leaves a trail of ash in its wake. It is the polar opposite of Awhite; it is harsh to people that it doesn't know, and even those it does know. But, whenever it sees another Pokemon, it immediately grabs it and hides it from humans. It likes to destroy areas that it senses humans in, and ash from its fur coats anywhere it's been. It doesn't really have a place to call home; it roams the islands in search of Pokemon. It will howl at the moon, calling to the other Pokemon.

Seprant – A four-legged serpent-like creature with big, stiff 'wings' on its back. It has frill-ears and a starfish shaped mask colored a dark blue green. Its skin is a pale light blue, and it 'glides' across the water as if it was flying through it. It rarely appears near humans, but it will ferry one if it deems them worthy enough.

Vyssis – A blue snake with metal plates put in random places around its body. It is a failed Team Aqua experimental Pokemon, being unable to survive in water, and was abandoned in the forest where it thrived. Although made completely in a lab, it acts like any other snake Pokemon. Usually bad-tempered, it dislikes trespassers.

Coctoo – A little blue Bird Pokemon that is very shy, but curious. It will sometimes approach people if it finds something interesting. It is known to take things that are shiny and stash them in its nest. It lives in huge flocks and rarely fights back.

Mystac – A light brown Pokemon who slightly resembles a Sneasel with sharp claws and a slender figure. It has huge bushy ears that can hear a Rattata squeak from a mile away. It is a scavenger, but will attack something if it thinks it will benefit it. It is actually quite cowardly and runs from fights, and it tries to intimidate its enemies from far away to try to ward them off and avoid battling altogether.

Welf – This blue and creamy-white Dog Pokemon is very playful and likes to run up to people and lick them. It is friendly to everyone and doesn't understand fighting. It takes a lot of training and care to make it understand how to battle seriously. It usually sticks its tongue out and teases others instead of attack.

Waizer – A yellow Fox Pokemon with a black mane that curves upwards, fur sticking out on its feet, and a curved up tail. It is a Normal-Type, but it is able to run on air. It is super fast, having one of the highest speeds on the island, and is quite common in most places. However, because of its agility, it is very hard to catch, and it is quite stubborn and is even more difficult to train.

Toraizer – a yellow fox with long black fur on its neck like a mane, a trio of crescent tails, long flowing fur on its paws, and long, sharp ears. The evolution of Waizer, it can cause tornadoes whenever it gets angered, and is extremely fast. It is usually very arrogant and can be quite rash, but it keeps at a distance and attacks with wind or runs away faster than its enemies. It sometimes taunts others in hopes of a race.

Aureen – a Dragon Pokemon with six legs, no wings, and is a Dragon/Psychic Type. It guards the cave with Team Aqua's base on Frostmount. It is extremely hostile and attacks anything that moves. Team Aqua snuck into the cave and don't come out in case it gets angry. It is extremely strong and is around Groudon's size.


	13. A New Journey And a New Encounter

Amber frowned. "Man, those are some _weird_ names…what the heck is a Frexis?"

Sam shrugged and took it back, pocketed it, and looked at them. He seemed like he was about to say something, but then he shut his mouth as he looked them up and down. He commented, "Nice dirt; it must be a fad I missed."

Amber frowned, but when she looked down at herself she realized what he meant; their clothes were absolutely filthy, probably from all of the adventures they've had. She laughed nervously, and Chris retorted, "Well, I guess it _would_ be new to some slick-haired kid on a secluded island full of nutcases."

Sam glared at him, but he turned and smiled at Amber and Celia and said, "I'm pretty sure I still have some of my mom's old clothes somewhere in the house. Let me see…" He walked off, followed by the Welf behind him. Chris rolled his eyes, but the two girls walked over to the door and got a peek inside. It was really fancy, with a chandelier in the front hallway and a red carpet from the front door in. He quickly returned with a few dresses, and Celia immediately squealed and took a light green one from the pile. Amber, however, wrinkled her face and looked back inside the house. "I'd rather be dirty."

"But you can't run around in _that!_" He shook his head, but then an idea came to him. He told her, "Hold on one more moment." He quickly ran off, and Amber wondered what he was up to. She glanced down as she suddenly felt something wet touch her hand, and she realized it was the Ahrite nosing her arm. It looked up, (although it didn't have to really crane its neck since it's so big) tilted its head, and whined. She frowned and stared it, wondering what it was thinking. If only she could read its mind or talk Pokemon…

"Aha! Back!"

Amber jumped slightly to glance at him carrying something red. He held it out to her, and she grabbed it and took a good look at it. It was a black shirt and black pants with a red vest, but on the vest there was a black fire symbol and the pants a red one. It didn't look _exactly _like a Team Magma outfit, but it was eerily close. It was better than nothing, though…

"The bathroom's this way," He pointed at a door just down the hall, and she nodded and ran off. She could hear Chris complain about something, but she wasn't really listening to him.

She changed quickly and ran back out to see Celia twirling around in her new dress. She still kept her bow, and it seriously looked as if she had hardly changed. All that was missing was the lace and flower patterns. Chris was wearing a dark navy blue shirt with khaki pants, with a brown cap sitting on his head. Amber actually thought it looked good on him. She didn't say so, of course. She looked at Sam and said, "So, how do we get to Ashburst?"

Sam cleared his throat and explained, "Well, you'd have to get to the teleportation pad on the East side of the island to get to the next one, and then travel East to that island's pad, and so on and so forth until you get to the last island and use that one to travel back to the mainland."

"Why can't we use the one we came in on?" Chris asked with a frown. Amber and Celia nodded in agreement.

Sam chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, if that pad's the same one that was destroyed in a surprise attack by a mysterious Pokemon…"

Chris groaned, "Great…"

Amber patted him on the back and said, "Hey, come on, it can't be _that_ bad! Besides, we get to see new Pokemon!"

"Ones that are exclusive to this island." Sam added.

Amber was about to say something else to try to cheer him up when suddenly she stopped. Celia looked at her friend worriedly and asked, "What is it, Amber?"

Amber put a finger to her lips and walked over to the forest. She listened, and she thought she heard something like an explosion. As if something was battling…

"Come on, guys!" Amber motioned to them to follow her. "There's someone else here!"

All four of them ran into the woods and came upon two people battling. There was a woman standing there, with long curly blonde hair and cold blue eyes calculating her opponent, a man in a red outfit, probably a Team Magma Grunt. She seemed to be in her twenties, and she wore a purple jacket over a white shirt and had on white pants and shoes. She seemed to be in the heat of battle.

"Pawdance, look out!"

The cat-like Pokemon mewed in response as it leapt over the Razor Wind. It looked kind of like a cuter version of Meowth, except it was pink as well as tan and way smaller. The opponent's Flareon growled and reacted as the Team Magma Grunt yelled, "Faint Attack, now!" It disappeared in a flash, and the cat looked around uneasily. She couldn't see her opponent, and it made her scared.

"Flare!" (Or whatever noise a Flareon makes, I forget…) Suddenly, it rammed into her, sending her flying in the air and crying. Quickly, the woman called out, "Use Assist!"

Pawdance mewed back, and suddenly its paws glowed as it was blasted towards the Fire-Type Pokemon. The Flareon was caught by surprise as she rammed into its chest and knocked it back. The woman grinned smugly, mumbling something about making a note to thank her Willblue after the battle.

It still stood on its feet, however, and it growled threateningly at her. It used Shadow Ball and shot it at the Kitten Pokemon. She meowed out in surprise and barely dodged it by ducking down, but the Flareon quickly ran up and rammed her. She skidded across the ground a couple of yards, and she stood up shakily, panting heavily. The Grunt laughed at its efforts, and suddenly decided to change the rules. He let loose his other Poke Balls, and out came a big black dog and a Golbat. They stood their ground, snarling ferociously and glaring at Pawdance as the woman yelled, "Hey! That's not fair!"

"Life ain't fair, lady," the Grunt smirked at her. "Pokemon, attack!" The three responded to their master's orders, charging towards the defenseless and hopelessly outnumbered Pawdance.

"Don't call me lady." The woman seemed to compromise that, if he wasn't going to go by the rules, she wouldn't either. She let go of all of her other Pokemon, yelling, "Go, help Pawdance!"

Five strange Pokemon hovered over the exhausted Pokemon, glaring at the foes. The first was a super tall green lizard with a tail made completely out of leaves and a red belly. The next was a smallish tan/orange Pokemon with a huge pair of black jaws on its head, like an extra head or something. Then there was a big blue bird the size of a Pidgeot, standing fiercely before them. Also, there was a white mongoose-like Pokemon with red scars all over its body and purple claws on its hand. Lastly, there was a strange bug Pokemon whose wings looked like angry eyes, making it look like a scary face floating in the air.

The three skidded to a stop, staring at the wall of Pokemon protecting Pawdance, and the Kitten Pokemon itself stood up carefully and hissed at them from behind the big menacing jaws of the Deceiver Pokemon. The Grunt growled, "This isn't over!" He quickly recalled his Pokemon and ran off, and the woman's Pokemon were about to go after him when the trainer called out, "Leave him be! We should stay together." They all nodded reluctantly and just glared at where the Grunt disappeared.

Then, Pawdance looked over towards the four kids standing and staring at them. It hissed at them, trying to be threatening, and the woman looked at them suspiciously. She narrowed her eyes and commanded, "Who are you?"

Amber cleared her throat and said, "I'm Amber, and this is Chris, Celia, Meowth, and Sam." She pointed to each one in turn. She made sure not to look too scared, although the woman looked really tough.

The woman straightened up, staring at them coldly, and her Pokemon came around her protectively. "You shouldn't be here!" She yelled at them. "Team Magma and Aqua are running these islands! It's no place for children."

Suddenly, the Ahrite appeared from the bushes and trotted in front of Amber. It stood before her, as if to shield her, with its fur shining a beautiful white in the sunlight. The woman blinked in surprise and mumbled, "Ahrite?" She seemed to be thinking incredibly hard, as if wondering what it was doing. She stood staring at the Wolf Pokemon in confusion for a while. Then, she shook her head and said, "Whatever. You'd better hurry, though." She turned away and held Poke Balls for each of her Pokemon except the big blue bird. "Team Magma has already started their experiments."

"Huh?" Amber frowned, confused. "What are you talking about?"

The woman, however, just jumped onto the bird and commanded, "Fly, Willblue! We're off to thwart Team Magma!" The bird cried in response as it opened up its huge wings and lifted off, flying into the sky faster than anything they've seen so far. One blink, and she was gone.

Amber looked down at the Wolf Pokemon before her. It stared at her as if expecting her to do something. It was as if it wanted her to follow her. What was it planning?

"Well, _that_ was strange." Chris spoke up first, catching Amber's attention. She looked at him as he continued, "Was that a Team Magma member?"

"A grunt, to be exact," Sam informed them, "And it seems he's gone back to warn the rest at the base."

"Well, _that's_ not good." Amber frowned, thinking how hard it could get if Team Magma was out to get them.

"Actually," Sam brought up quickly, "The grunt's attention was on the girl. He didn't see us, and the woman didn't even notice us; her Pokemon did." He smiled encouragingly. "I doubt that they could tell Maxie you guys are here."

"Who?" The three friends all tilted their head in unison, making Sam sigh in bother. He seemed to be getting tired of explaining things. He shook his head and said, "He's the leader of Team Magma; my dad's boss. Just…let's get to that teleportation pad, shall we?" He leaned down slightly to pat the Ahrite on its head before he walked off back towards his house. As he walked, he called back, "I have some equipment in my house that could help us."

As he walked into the trees, Chris muttered, "He seems kind of touchy, doesn't he?"

Amber watched him disappear into the woods and nodded slowly. "Especially on the subject of his father."

Celia frowned, feeling sorry for him. "It's so sad…"

They all ran back through the foliage to see him going through a huge backpack out front. It was so big he was halfway in it, looking for the so called 'equipment' of his.

Chris raised an eyebrow at this, but Sam just slipped out with an 'aha!' and held up some little cards. He walked over to them and asked, "Do either of you have a PokeGear or a PokeNav?"

The two girls' faces were blank, but Chris brightened up and said, "I do!" He dug his hands into his pockets and pulled out his little grey device. He carefully gave it to Sam, who then took it and inserted the cards into the device. He handed it back to Chris and explained, "Now you have your own Pokedex inserted into your PokeGear as well as a link to my PokeNav." He held up his own handheld device. "Now we can communicate via handhelds, and you can send me what you find about the Pokemon you see so I can do some research."

"Wait…" Celia frowned. "You're not coming with us?"

"Of course not!" Both him and Chris said simultaneously. The girls looked at both of them curiously, and Sam clarified, "I can't leave my house, or Dad might go ballistic! He may not be the harshest member of Team Magma, but he's still loyal to his boss, and he will get suspicious if I suddenly disappear. Besides," he laughed good-humoredly, "I was never one for adventure."

"Alright." Amber nodded and asked, "Which way is the teleportation pad to the next island?"

"To the east," he directed, pointing to their left. "Just keep going until you find the cliffs, and the pad with be somewhere around there. Be careful not to be seen, though."

"Thanks!" Amber smiled and waved at him as they began to walk off. He nodded at them and grinned as they walked off into the trees, with his Welf at his side. As they went out of sight, Chris mumbled something dark under his breath. The blue-eyed girl frowned at him and asked, "What are you grumbling about?" Celia added, "He seems awfully nice."

"Yeah…" Chris looked back suspiciously at where the house was behind the trees. "But how can we be sure he isn't leading us into a trap?"

"We can't," Amber said bluntly. "_But, _we have to try at the moment. Otherwise, we'll be lost on these islands forever."

As he kept grumbling angrily, Amber thought of something. "Hey…" She looked around. "Where'd that wolf Pokemon go?"

"Hm?" Chris snapped out of his angry thoughts as he glanced around as well. But Ahrite was nowhere to be found. "Weird…"

"Maybe it had something to do…?" Celia offered, looking up at the sky. "I mean, it _is _a Pokemon, after all. Maybe it had to go somewhere."

As they looked at her staring at the sky, they heard something howling in the distance. They couldn't figure out where it came from, but it sounded like it was calling for something. A moment later, another howl answered it.

"Yeah…" Amber mumbled to herself. "Maybe…"

**I TOTALLY MESSED UP!!! It's supposed to be Prismeon on Frostmount, not Auroreon! I put its information when I updated that Pokedex chapter; I'll always tell you whenever I update it again!**

**Also, this is a bit shorter than the other ones, but I kind of got a bit…well, I prolonged it a bit, so I decided to stop here so I could get onto the next chapter. Otherwise, I would still be trying to find a way to end this chapter. Personally, I think it ended well, if maybe a bit too soon. Oh, well!**

**Also, that woman (won't tell her name YET!) had Pokemon that I didn't put the names of. Allow me to enlighten you! Her Pokemon (in the order of which they were explained) are: Pawdance (Skitty), Willblue (Swellow), Notalone (Sceptile), Chompjaw (Mawile), Bloodclaw (Zangoose), and Dewdrop (Masquerain).**

**WARNING: SPOILERS! If you don't like them, don't read!**

**The group continues on their journey back home, but what will they encounter? It seems that there is another Pokemon like Ahrite…but is it as friendly as its counterpart? And what will they do about Team Magma if they find out they're there? Can Sam avoid getting them caught? Will Team Aqua get into the way as well?**

**Will they **_**ever **_**find they're way home?**


End file.
